Beyond the Renaissance: Between Dürer and Parmigianino
The exhibition is dedicated to Baselitz the collector. His collection of prints by the Old Masters grew out of an interest that emerged as early as the 1960s and developed continuously over more than six decades. The artist’s curiosity was joined by the eye of a connoisseur, giving rise to a body of works of great value, capable of revealing his affinities, preferences and the questions that accompanied his artistic research.
The exhibition therefore presents works by innovative Italian artists of the late fifteenth century and the Mannerist period, including Andrea Mantegna, Parmigianino and Andrea Schiavone; the French printmaking masters of the School of Fontainebleau, such as Léon Davent, Geoffroy Dumonstier and Juste de Juste; Dutch and German artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Hans Sebald Beham; and some of the foremost experimenters in chiaroscuro printmaking, from Ugo da Carpi to Domenico Beccafumi, from Andrea Andreani to Hendrick Goltzius. These are joined by selected masterpieces from the Budapest collections, including works by Antonio del Pollaiolo and Parmigianino himself.
At the heart of the exhibition is precisely graphic production, understood not as a secondary field in relation to painting, but as a privileged terrain for research and experimentation, as well as for extraordinary formal expression. Just as artists of the past used drawings and prints as repositories of images, models and sources of inspiration, so Baselitz has amassed throughout his life a remarkably rich graphic heritage, bringing together the achievements of Italian, French, German and Flemish masters and offering an exceptional insight into what artists sought, experimented with and achieved through printmaking techniques.
The exhibition unfolds through time and space: starting with Albrecht Dürer’s celebrated prints, including the famous Rhinoceros, it presents a substantial series of works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, in dialogue with one of his rare woodblocks; these are followed by the marvellous chiaroscuro prints of Domenico Beccafumi and Ugo da Carpi, including the famous and powerful Diogenes, before giving way to the inventive and accomplished Jacques Bellange. The exhibition displays also the work of Parmigianino and his circle around Raphael’s oeuvre and the pioneering works of Antonio Pollaiolo and Andrea Mantegna.
The exhibition therefore presents works by innovative Italian artists of the late fifteenth century and the Mannerist period, including Andrea Mantegna, Parmigianino and Andrea Schiavone; the French printmaking masters of the School of Fontainebleau, such as Léon Davent, Geoffroy Dumonstier and Juste de Juste; Dutch and German artists such as Albrecht Dürer and Hans Sebald Beham; and some of the foremost experimenters in chiaroscuro printmaking, from Ugo da Carpi to Domenico Beccafumi, from Andrea Andreani to Hendrick Goltzius. These are joined by selected masterpieces from the Budapest collections, including works by Antonio del Pollaiolo and Parmigianino himself.
At the heart of the exhibition is precisely graphic production, understood not as a secondary field in relation to painting, but as a privileged terrain for research and experimentation, as well as for extraordinary formal expression. Just as artists of the past used drawings and prints as repositories of images, models and sources of inspiration, so Baselitz has amassed throughout his life a remarkably rich graphic heritage, bringing together the achievements of Italian, French, German and Flemish masters and offering an exceptional insight into what artists sought, experimented with and achieved through printmaking techniques.
The exhibition unfolds through time and space: starting with Albrecht Dürer’s celebrated prints, including the famous Rhinoceros, it presents a substantial series of works by Lucas Cranach the Elder, in dialogue with one of his rare woodblocks; these are followed by the marvellous chiaroscuro prints of Domenico Beccafumi and Ugo da Carpi, including the famous and powerful Diogenes, before giving way to the inventive and accomplished Jacques Bellange. The exhibition displays also the work of Parmigianino and his circle around Raphael’s oeuvre and the pioneering works of Antonio Pollaiolo and Andrea Mantegna.
Access notes:
Booking is optional for individual visitors and groups of up to 7 people.
However, booking is compulsory for groups of 8 or more people.
Booking can be made online via the Firenzecard website.
Last admission is one hour before closing.
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