Exhibition: Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance

The first major UK exhibition to explore the exceptional talents of the Renaissance master Donatello, arguably the greatest sculptor of all time. Experience a fresh vision of the artist and his influence on subsequent generations.

Comprising around 130 objects, the exhibition will also incorporate a significant number of objects from the V&A’s own collections.

Featuring many works that have never been on display in the UK, the exhibition explores Donatello’s innovations, collaborations and inspirations within the vibrant artistic and cultural context of 15th-century Italy, and his influence on subsequent generations of artists.

The exhibition showcases works never seen before in the UK including Donatello’s early marble David and bronze Attis-Amorino from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, as well as the spectacular reliquary bust of San Rossore from the Museo Nazionale di San Matteo, Pisa, and bronzes from the High Altar of the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua.

For the first time, the V&A’s exquisitely carved shallow relief of the Ascension with Christ giving the keys to St Peter will be displayed alongside the Madonna of the Clouds from the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and Desiderio da Settignano’s Panciatichi Madonna from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, providing an exclusive opportunity to see these works together.

Key works by the master himself will be complemented by carefully selected works by Donatello’s contemporaries and followers that explore and expand on the sculptor’s major place within the development of Renaissance art and its context, as well as inter-relationships across materials.

Ian has Visited - review here.