Mannerism emerged in Italy from the visual language of the High Renaissance and quickly gained international prominence. It is characterized by a refined elegance, rich imagination, and affinity for symbols and hidden meanings. Printmaking played a pivotal role in its rapid dissemination, while also establishing itself as an independent artistic discipline during this period, and attaining both technical and artistic excellence. Most of the public knew the key works of Michelangelo, Raphael, and Giulio Romano, and the magnificent decoration of the French royal residence at Fontainebleau only through the medium of prints. This exhibition, organised by the National Gallery Prague in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre, will present over 200 exquisite engravings and etchings, drawings, paintings, jewells, and other objects of decorative arts. It traces the evolution of Mannerist graphic art, exploring its experiments, originality, and connections with other art forms, while testifying to its role in the artistic exchange between Italy and other European countries.
The exhibition benefits from an exceptionally generous loan from the graphic collection of the Musée du Louvre, particularly the rare collection donated to the museum by the renowned art collector Edmond de Rothschild. Some of these artworks have never been exhibited publicly before. A genuinely exceptional addition to the Prague exhibition is a drawing by Michelangelo Buonarroti. The display will feature an array of works by master engravers and etchers, including Parmigianino, Schiavone, Cornelis Cort, Hendrick Goltzius, Aegidius Sadeler, Jacques Bellange, Jacques Callot, and many others. The artworks from the National Gallery Prague and the Musée du Louvre will be complemented by masterpieces on loan from the Bibliothèque nationale de France, the Albertina in Vienna, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Siena, the State Regional Archive in Pilsen (workplace Klášter), the Museum of Decorative Arts in Prague, the Moravian Gallery in Brno, the National Library of the Czech Republic, the National Museum, the Prague Castle Collections, the Royal Canonry of Premonstratensians at Strahov, the Chrudim Regional Museum, the National Heritage Institute, as well as other institutions and private collections.
National Gallery Prague in collaboration with Musée du Louvre
Main curators: Xavier Salmon, Musée du Louvre, Alena Volrábová, National Gallery Prague
Expert curators: Blanka Kubíková, Alena Volrábová
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