Category Archives: Giovanni Bellini

Not to be missed exhibitions in 2018

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“Impossible to see the future is”, said Yoda, and that’s certainly been true in respect of the art I’ve seen throughout 2017. I couldn’t have imagined for example how spectacular the Bernini exhibition currently on at the Galleria Borghese would be. Likewise, the Arcimboldo exhibition at the Palazzo Barberini. Both had been unknown to me back in January 2017. But that doesn’t stop us non-Jedi trying, so here are the 5 things I’m looking forward to visiting in 2018.

Fingers crossed it lives up to the last 12 months because looking back we really did see some fantastic stuff. Both the highly acclaimed Vermeer at the Louvre, which kicked of the artist year for us, and then the Caravaggio at the Palazzo Reale which bookended the year were fabulous. Both exhibitions will stay long in the memory and have raised the bar in terms of what we should expect from a truly great exhibition.

It’s difficult to imagine how a collection of 1,500 or more works can be reassembled. In reality we are likely to see less than a tenth of the works this pioneering monarch put together. Continue reading Not to be missed exhibitions in 2018

What to look forward to in 2017…

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For me, my artistic year really doesn’t get going till next weekend when we are going to be visiting Lisbon to see just four paintings! Yes, I know, but to be honest I’m sure we’ll have a great time and with a Raphael, a Piero della Francesca and a Durer amongst others on the ‘must see’ list it will be great.

My visit this weekend to see the Australian Impressionist exhibition at the weekend left me with the distinct feeling that the National Gallery has lost its way a little. I’ve not really enjoyed the last 3-4 exhibitions and other UK based Galleries don’t seem to have the same draw for me as they did with some great shows like Giorgione at the RA in 2016.

So this year I’ll be casting my net a little further afield. Continue reading What to look forward to in 2017…

If you could take away just one thing from… Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna)

Maria-Theresein-Platz, Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien

The Kunsthistorisches Museum or KHM, as it’s known to locals, is an absolute must on any trip to Vienna. Its collection is a superb treasure trove of art to rival the worlds very best. The building itself is in my humble opinion the most beautiful major museum in the world. I’m not trying to do down either the Louvre or the Hermitage (both are beautiful), it’s just that the KHM edges them out. Continue reading If you could take away just one thing from… Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna)

Piero Della Francesca: exploring a legend in Forli

Polyptych of the Misericordia

One of the many great joys of having an Italian wife is the not infrequent trips to see La Bella Italia. Recently that took me to the small, yet not all together uninteresting, city of Forli’. It’s not on the main tourist trail but it has in recent years been putting on a series of crowd pulling exhibitions. The present ‘Exploring a legend’ in the converted convent Dominican church and now Musei di San Domenico is on Piero della Francesca. Continue reading Piero Della Francesca: exploring a legend in Forli

After 500 years Bellini deserves so much more than a lone drunk

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“He is very old, yet, he is still the best painter of them all”Albrecht Dürer – Visiting Venice for a second time in 1506

We live at a point in time at which we are fortunate to witness some big landmark commemorations. 2016 has already seen the 400th anniversary of death of William Shakespeare and the 500th anniversary of the passing of Hieronymus Bosch. Sadly, and this isn’t just a reflection on the disorder of the Italians, there are no such plans (at least as far as I am aware) at any major institutions to commemorate Giovani Bellini who died in November 1516. Continue reading After 500 years Bellini deserves so much more than a lone drunk