The century spanning the mid
1400s to the mid 1500s probably represents one of the most
innovative periods in artistic expression.
From Florence to Venice, Ferrara to Sicily, Sardinia to
Lombardy, the artists of the Italian Renaissance followed on the
heels of Piero della Francesca, who transformed painting into
thought, well beyond devotional requirements, at the Duke of
Urbino's court.
The exhibition 'Secret Renaissance' running from April 13 to
September 3 is dedicated to these magical years.
Visitors can admire a total of 70 lesser artworks including
paintings, sculptures and objects belonging to private
collectors and banking foundations - many of which are on show
for the first time - in three cities in the central Marches
region: Urbino, Pesaro and Fano.
The exhibition has been put together by art historian and
critic Vittorio Sgarbi, who has attempted to create a dialogue
between the chosen artworks and the Renaissance treasures
already present in the local area.
The displays include works by local Marche masters Giacomo di
Nicola da Recanati and Giovanni Antonio da Pesaro, Tuscan
masters Piero del Pollaiolo, Benvenuto Cellini and Francesco di
Giorgio Martini and artists from Veneto, Ferrara, Emilia
Romagna, as well as masterpieces from the school of Raphael and
Perugino.
The exhibition itinerary begins in Urbino, with the
magnificent palace designed by Francesco Laurana for Duke
Federico III da Montefeltro and completed by Francesco di
Giorgio Martini.
It continues in Pesaro, another important centre of
Renaissance art as demonstrated by the altarpiece painted by
Giovanni Bellini for the Church of S. Francesco (now in Palazzo
Mosca), which arrived from Venice by sea in 1475.
Fano is the third leg of the tour and here the focus is
largely on architecture as a result of the Malatesta lordship:
the Malatesta castle, Casa degli Arnolfi, and Borgia Cybo arch.
For information see www.rinascimentosegreto.it.
photo: Piero della Francesca's Resurrection in Sansepolcro
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