November 17, 2017–February 11, 2018
Explore a 500-year-old revolution in printmaking technology at the Cincinnati Art Museum’s free special exhibition Albrecht Dürer: The Age of Reformation and Renaissance, on view November 17, 2017–February 11, 2018.
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Germany, Flight into Egypt for Life of the Virgin, circa 1504, woodcut, Bequest of Herbert Greer French, 1943.228
The Cincinnati Art Museum is one of several Cincinnati area arts organizations who will commemorate 500 years since Martin Luther issued his 95 theses in 1517, triggering enormous theological, political and cultural changes throughout Europe.
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Germany, Melancholia I, 1514, engraving, Bequest of Herbert Greer French, 1943.204
The Age of Reformation and Renaissance follows the development of Dürer’s artistic brilliance from his apprenticeship through the eve of the Reformation. Through Dürer’s works, visitors will experience the artistic, cultural and political changes that lead up to Luther’s defiant act.
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Germany, Landscape with the Cannon, 1518, etching, Bequest of Herbert Greer French, 1943.207
Dürer’s political and social influence are evident in the prints in the exhibition, including popular artworks
Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528), Germany, The Four Horsemen for The Apocalypse, circa 1497–98, woodcut (proof before text), Bequest of Herbert Greer French, 1943.212
The Four Horsemen from The Apocalypse
and Knight, Death and the Devil.
The exhibition features an extensive display of works from Cincinnati Art Museum’s permanent collection, plus works on loan from other museums and collectors, totaling more than 140 pieces by Dürer and his contemporaries.
Kristin Spangenberg, Cincinnati Art Museum Curator of Prints, has organized the exhibition. “The Cincinnati Art Museum joins the local community in commemorating Dürer’s life and legacy through this exhibition,” says Spangenberg. “The highlight of The Age of Reformation and Renaissance is Dürer’s complete series of religious prints. His innovative use of printmaking puts his works on par with artists of the Italian Renaissance, and had led to his international and lasting reputation.”
