First Verrocchio exhibit to open in the U.S.

Janomot report: Washington, September 11 - Andrea del Verrocchio,one of the greatest Renaissance artists and the master ofLeonardo and Perugino, will star in the first-ever monographicexhibition in the United States, at the National Gallery of Art(NGA) in Washington. The exhibit will showcase some 50 masterworks includingpaintings, sculptures and drawings.
    It will run from September 15 through January 12.
    The show - Verrocchio: Sculptor and Painter of RenaissanceFlorence - has been organized in cooperation with the FondazioneStrozzi and the Museo Nazionale del Bargello in Florence, whichhosted a larger version of the exhibit from March to July.
    The show wraps up a season of exhibits at the NGA dedicatedto Italian art with three exhibits on Tintoretto and another oneon "chiaroscuro" in Renaissance Italy.
    "This exhibit represents a further milestone in thecollaboration with the National Gallery of Art", said ItalianAmbassador to the US Armando Varricchio at the inauguration,recalling that America was named after another Florentine,explorer Amerigo Vespucci.
    "A 'Renaissance man' in every way, Andrea del Verrocchio wasa pioneering, versatile artist whose talents stood out for theirbrilliance", said Kaywin Feldman, director of the NationalGallery of Art. "Verrocchio was a visionary", said Andrew Butterfield, theexhibition curator and an internationally recognized expert onthe artist. "His atelier was a real laboratory of collaboration andexperimentation, it was as big as the first room of thisexhibit: imagine Leonardo working in corner, and Perugino andBotticelli in the others with Verrocchio at the center like anorchestra director".
    Two other Renaissance greats, Michelangelo and Raphael, alsostudied under Verrocchio.
    Many of the masterpieces on display will be visible to theAmerican public for the first time.
    They include the famous bronzes of David with the head ofGoliath and the Putto with dolphin, the bust of the Woman withflowers, paintings like the Madonna and child with two angels,Tobias and the angel, as well as many of his 25 drawings - artin which he introduced the 'sfumato' technique that became a keycomponent of Leonardo's work.
    A room showcases artworks Verrocchio created with his pupilsor that they made on their own, including the Madonna with childand two angels (probably painted with help from Leonardo andPerugino) and the famous Ginevra de Benci, Leonardo's solemasterpiece in the US.
    The show includes a catalogue, a video (which was made thanksto the Italian embassy in the US) and a selection of photos ofsculptures by the artist snapped by Clarence Kennedy.
    The Italian embassy on Wednesday will host a symposium toanalyze the figure of this artist who excelled as a painter,sculptor, designer and master, innovating techniques andinfluencing future generations.