This year presented a major calendar of various events and exhibitions throughout Italy celebrating the life and work of Da Vinci on the event of his 500th anniversary since passing. With 2020 just on the horizon, so too comes another big anniversary in art history after this year of celebrating Da Vinci, the 500th anniversary of the death of Raphael, and, with it, another series of events and exhibitions throughout Italian museums and other fine art instituions around the globe.
Unlike Da Vinci, or Michelangelo, this great name of the Renaissance only lived into his late thirties, with his two great peers making it into their eighties. Today, his name is less lauded on the scale of those two great artists but he was no less beloved in his time and, though his life was shorter, he was incredibly productive, leaving behind an impressive oeuvre of fine art.
Unlike Da Vinci, or Michelangelo, this great name of the Renaissance only lived into his late thirties, with his two great peers making it into their eighties. Today, his name is less lauded on the scale of those two great artists but he was no less beloved in his time and, though his life was shorter, he was incredibly productive, leaving behind an impressive oeuvre of fine art.
Born in Urbino, Le Marche, famous for his good looks, and a prolific artist and architect, Raphael died in Rome on the 6th of April 1520, where he had been for a decade, working for various popes who ruled at the time. The calendar of events to mark the 500th anniversary of when Raphael died opened in his hometown in October 2019 in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche with an exhibition of Raphael exploring his earliest surviving work in the context of the city-court of Urbino and is shown alongside the work of his peers in the city.
The most important show throughout the year, however, will be held at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale from March to June 2020, collaborating with the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence to showcase a large-scale presentation of some of his best and most important works. While it is not yet known exactly what works the exhibition includes, we do know that among the Gallerie degli Uffizi’s Raphaels there is the self-portrait painted in his early 20s that is pictured above, a pair of portraits depicting Agnolo and Maddalena Doni (1504-07) and the, "Madonna of the Goldfinch" (around 1506). Milan’s Ambrosiana will also be showing their large-scale cartoon for the Vatican fresco, “The School of Athens” (1509), which has just been conserved and went back on display in March 2019.
Other Italian museums, churches, palaces, and institutions with works by Raphael will also, no doubt, be highlighting the artist and putting particular emphasis on his body of work to mark the 500th anniversary of his death. As he was so incredibly prolific, this means that there will be lots of places to see Raphael’s works and to celebrate his life all throughout Italy. Outside of Italy, other important shows will take place in London’s National Gallery, where there are a whopping 11 Raphaels in their collection, and the Victoria and Albert Museum will be showcasing their permanent display of the seven huge Raphael tapestry cartoons of St Peter and St Paul. While the Louvre is not planning a dedicated Raphael show, their Italian Renaissance exhibition, “Body and Soul: Sculpture in Italy from Donatello to Michelangelo 1460-1520”, is due to open in Spring 2020.
So, if you’re a fan of art history or of the Renaissance masters or a fan of the likes of Leonardo and Raphael and you are planning a trip to Italy next year, keep your eyes peeled as exhibitions of Raphael will be popping up all over the place all throughout 2020. Just browse our vacation rentals in Italy and our vacation rentals in Milan and vacation rentals in Rome, in particular, and look forward to learning more about this incredible Renaissance master on his 500th anniversary!
The most important show throughout the year, however, will be held at Rome’s Scuderie del Quirinale from March to June 2020, collaborating with the Gallerie degli Uffizi in Florence to showcase a large-scale presentation of some of his best and most important works. While it is not yet known exactly what works the exhibition includes, we do know that among the Gallerie degli Uffizi’s Raphaels there is the self-portrait painted in his early 20s that is pictured above, a pair of portraits depicting Agnolo and Maddalena Doni (1504-07) and the, "Madonna of the Goldfinch" (around 1506). Milan’s Ambrosiana will also be showing their large-scale cartoon for the Vatican fresco, “The School of Athens” (1509), which has just been conserved and went back on display in March 2019.
Other Italian museums, churches, palaces, and institutions with works by Raphael will also, no doubt, be highlighting the artist and putting particular emphasis on his body of work to mark the 500th anniversary of his death. As he was so incredibly prolific, this means that there will be lots of places to see Raphael’s works and to celebrate his life all throughout Italy. Outside of Italy, other important shows will take place in London’s National Gallery, where there are a whopping 11 Raphaels in their collection, and the Victoria and Albert Museum will be showcasing their permanent display of the seven huge Raphael tapestry cartoons of St Peter and St Paul. While the Louvre is not planning a dedicated Raphael show, their Italian Renaissance exhibition, “Body and Soul: Sculpture in Italy from Donatello to Michelangelo 1460-1520”, is due to open in Spring 2020.
So, if you’re a fan of art history or of the Renaissance masters or a fan of the likes of Leonardo and Raphael and you are planning a trip to Italy next year, keep your eyes peeled as exhibitions of Raphael will be popping up all over the place all throughout 2020. Just browse our vacation rentals in Italy and our vacation rentals in Milan and vacation rentals in Rome, in particular, and look forward to learning more about this incredible Renaissance master on his 500th anniversary!
