The Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) presents “The Louvre and the Masterpiece” |
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| Written by Matthew Welch |
| Sunday, 18 October 2009 03:50 |
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“We are thrilled to present such a magnificent group of works from the Louvre’s collections to Minnesota for the first time, and it is a great opportunity to explore what makes a work of art a masterpiece,” said Kaywin Feldman, Director and President of the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The exhibition comprises three sections which coincide with three themes mentioned above. What Is a Masterpiece?  “What Is a Masterpiece” explores the changing historical
definitions of the concept of masterpiece through a selection of objects from
the ancient Near East through the mid-19th-century. In the ancient world, a
masterpiece was defined by an object’s owner and purpose. In contrast, medieval
artists achieved technical mastery within specialized guilds. Notable objects in
this section include two such inscribed works: a Limoges ciborium (c. A.D.
1200), a vessel used for holding communion hosts, and a Mamluk hammered bronze
basin known as the Baptistery of Saint Louis, (c. late 13th—early 14th century).
The Baptistery of Saint Louis was later used to baptize Louis XIII in 1610 and
Napoleon III’s son in 1856. Connoisseurship The second section will introduce the idea of connoisseurship as a means of identifying works from the past as masterpieces. Displayed in pairs or groups, these objects will provide informative comparisons. The presentation will conclude with the famed Blue Head, a forgery from the Louvre’s collection. For years, the glass head was believed to be an Egyptian masterpiece (c. 1400 B.C.). Once displayed in the ancient Egyptian galleries, it was one of the most frequently reproduced works in the Louvre’s collections. After careful scientific analysis in 2001, it was confirmed to be a forgery. Evolution of Taste and Knowledge “Evolution of Taste and Knowledge” explores masterpieces that were either rediscovered or reattributed based on the changing knowledge and perceptions. Included will be ten paintings and sculptures by artists who are well known today but had been overlooked in previous eras. These include Johannes Vermeer’s masterpiece, The Astronomer, which has never been seen in North America. Acquired by the Louvre in 1986, it once formed a pair with The Geographer, of 1669 – 9, now in Frankfurt. Together they illustrate Vermeer’s profound interest in scholarly inquiry. Vermeer’s paintings were well known and highly sought after during his lifetime, but because of his extremely limited output (around thirty-five paintings) he fell into obscurity—especially outside of Holland—in the decades following his death. This section also features three focused installations. The first presents a Romanesque marble capital depicting the biblical story of Daniel in the Lion’s Den and the early Greek sculpture called the Lady of Auxerre. The second involves a suite of seven drawings by the Italian artists Michelangelo Buonarroti and Antonio Pisanello. The Louvre collected the Pisanello drawings in the nineteenth century, when they were thought to be rare works by Leonardo da Vinci. Research and new findings by curators determined that they were actually created by Pisanello, an extraordinarily gifted but lesser-known artist. Through this reattribution, an exceptional artist was discovered—or rediscovered—in modern times. This section concludes with a ravishing oil sketch by da Vinci.
An in-depth examination of French sculptor Antoine-Louis Barye’s life-sized bronze Lion and Serpent further elucidates the exhibition themes, such as the significance of technical mastery and the creative process, and the impact of the artist’s reputation. This presentation will include smaller models and studies based on Barye’s masterpiece. Barye was well known for his realistic depiction of animals, especially those engaged in life-and-death struggles. Lion and Serpent was commissioned by King Louis-Philippe for the Tuileries Gardens, and was on display there from 1836 to 1911. With Lion and Serpent, Barye pushed the technical boundaries of cast-bronze sculpture by using only one bronze pour into a single mold. He reproduced the work hundreds of times in other sizes, which were then sold as collectible objects and used as diplomatic gifts from the French government. The curator for “The Louvre and the Masterpiece” at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts is Matthew Welch, Assistant Director of Curatorial Affairs at the MIA. Visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA) at : http://www.artsmia.org/ Click on logo below to add this article to your favorite Social Website ~ |
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