Federico
Barocci, Italian, c.1533–1612; Portrait of Francesco Maria II
della Rovere,
c.1571–72; oil on canvas; 44 1/2 x 36 5/8 inches; Istituti museale della
Soprintendenza Speciale per il Polo Museale Fiorentino; photo: Scala/ Ministero
per i Beni e le Attività culturali/Art Resource,
The Saint Louis Art Museum is presenting Federico
Barocci: Renaissance Master. Appearing from October 21, 2012 to January 20, 2013 this international
exhibition showcases a trove of exceptionally beautiful paintings and studies,
the majority of which have never before been seen in this country, gathered
from more than 35 institutions worldwide.
Federico Barocci, Italian,
c.1533–1612; Rest
on the Return from Egypt, 1570–73; oil on canvas; 52 3/8 x
43 1/4 inches; Vatican Museums, Vatican City; photo: Scala/Art Resource, NY
Federico Barocci was one of the most innovative Italian artists of the second half of the 16th century and was highly sought after by both religious and secular patrons. A major influence on European masters such as Peter Paul Rubens, Barocci's art combines the beauty of the High Renaissance and the dynamism of the Baroque.
Federico Barocci, Italian,
c.1533–1612; Studies for the Hands of the Virgin Mary for the Annunciation;
charcoal and pastel, heightened with white on blue paper; 10 3/4 x 15 1/2
inches; Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Kupferstichkabinett; photo: Volker - H.
Schneider
In addition to his refined paintings, Barocci completed thousands of preparatory studies (over 1,500 survive), including pastel drawings and oil sketches— a technique he pioneered.
Curated in St. Louis by Judith W. Mann, curator of European art to
1800, and Babette Bohn, professor of art history at Texas Christian University
in Fort Worth, Federico Barocci: Renaissance Master offers visitors a unique opportunity to study and understand a master's artistic process.
The exhibition features a range of Barocci’s best works from enchanting pastel and chalk studies to truly exceptional and breathtaking paintings.
Catalogue
Federico Barocci: Renaissance Master of Color and Line (Yale University Press) – Hardcover (2012)
by Judith Walker Mann, Babette Bohn, Carol Plazzotta
Hardcover, Yale University Press
2012
English
360 pages
ISBN: 0300174772
ISBN-13: 9780300174779
Essays by leading scholars in the field discuss the role of Urbino - Barocci's hometown - in the artist's development; his pioneering approach to religious subjects; his technique as a draftsman; the interdependence of painting and drawing in his work; and his use of red underpaint. Catalogue entries treat nineteen groups of paintings and drawings, including many previously unpublished sheets. This beautiful and groundbreaking book reveals the breadth and significance of Barocci's oeuvre.
An international symposium will be held January 10–12, 2013, featuring exhibition curators Judith W. Mann, Babette Bohn, and Carol Plazzotta of the National Gallery, London, as well as an international panel of scholars. A keynote address will be given by David Ekserdjian, Professor of the History of Art and Film at the University of
Leicester.
Following its presentation at the Saint Louis Art Museum, Federico
Barocci: Renaissance Master will travel to The National Gallery, where it will
be on display from February 27 to May 19, 2013.
Federico Barocci: Renaissance
Master has been organized by the Saint Louis Art Museum in association with the National Gallery, London, in collaboration with the Soprintendenza per il
Patrimonio Storico, Artistico ed Etnoantropologico delle Marche – Urbino and
the Polo Museale Fiorentino, Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe degli Uffizi, Florence,
and with generous support of the Kupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu
Berlin.
