Tintoretto (1518-1594) is
starring at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, which is
dedicating three exhibits to the Venetian genius on the 500th
anniversary of his birth.
The first show is "Tintoretto: artist of Venetian
Renaissance", to be inaugurated on March 24 at the Gallery, its
only venue following its opening at the Lagoon City's Palazzo
Ducale.
The show was presented on Tuesday in Washington at an event
attended, among others, by the new director of the museum,
Kaywin Feldman, Italy's ambassador to the US, Armando
Varricchio, the mayor of Venice, Luigi Brugnaro, and the show's
two curators, Frederick Ilchman and Robert Echols, who then
attended a gala event hosted by the Italian ambassador.
Organized in cooperation with Venice's Fondazione dei Musei
Civici and Gallerie dell'Accademia, it will be the first
retrospective dedicated to Tintoretto in North America.
The exhibit will showcase 46 paintings, including 20 loaned
by Venice and several that have never been shown in the US, like
the Last Supper for the Church of San Trovaso and the Madonna
dei Camerlenghi.
Some of the masterpieces, including the San Marziale in
Gloria from the church by the same name in Cannareggio, have
been restored and maintained by Save Venice, an organization
that raises money to preserve the city's art treasures.
Twelve drawings will also be on display.
Among the most important masterworks on show are the Virgin
and Child with Saints and The Conversion of Saint Paul.
One gallery will also be dedicated to portraits as part of an
exhibit that vies to give a sweeping into one of the greatest
and most influential western painters.
Two additional exhibitions have been planned to mark the
anniversary.
One is 'Drawing in Tintoretto's Venice' (March 24-May 26),
at the Morgan Library in New York, which will focus on the
artist's drawings and will include works by Titian, Veronese and
Jacopo da Bassano, including some 80 works.
'Venetian prints in the time of Tintoretto' (over the same
period) will instead showcase 40 prints, mostly from the
permanent collection of the National Gallery of Art in
Washington, including etchings by Parmigianino and Giuseppe
Scolari, who were a very important source of inspiration for the
Venetian maestro.
"Thanks to Tintoretto's work, America is celebrating Italy,
its creative genius, its culture and its history", said
Varricchio, announcing an international event dedicated to the
artist scheduled on Thursday at the embassy.
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