The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. will celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of the Venetian Renaissance master Jacopo Tintoretto. They will present three exhibitions that explore the artist’s achievement as a painter and draftsman, as well as influences and innovations of other great printmakers in Venice of the 16th century.
Co-organized with the Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, with the special cooperation of the Gallerie dell’Accademia, “Tintoretto: Artist of Renaissance Venice” will be presented from March 10 through July 7. This is the first retrospective of the artist in North America and will feature nearly 50 paintings and more than a dozen works on paper spanning the artist’s entire career. They range from regal portraits of Venetian aristocrats to religious and mythological narrative scenes.
“Drawing in Tintoretto’s Venice” will open on March 10 and is the first exhibition in 40 years to focus specifically on Tintoretto’s work as a draftsman. The exhibition of approximately 80 works traces the complex development of Tintoretto’s draftsmanship – his early studies in preparation for paintings, studies he and his workshop made after sculptures by Michelangelo and the rich interpretation of Tintoretto’s own work by followers, including his son, Domenico Tintoretto; Palma Giovane and El Greco. On exhibit through May 26.
The third exhibition is entitled “Venetian Prints in the Time of Tintoretto” and reveals a critical source for the Renaissance master’s artistic formation, parallel developments toward a distinctively Venetian mannerism and other artists’ vibrant responses to Tintoretto’s style. Drawn principally from the Gallery’s permanent collection, this exhibition will present some 30 prints – from exquisite etchings by followers of Parmigianino, to unprecedented pictorial engravings by Agostino Carracci and the spectacular woodcuts of Giuseppe Scolari. The dates for this exhibition are March 3 through May 26.
The National Gallery of Art is located on Constitution Avenue NW in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit the Gallery’s website at www.nga.gov.
