OF HEAVEN AND EARTH: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums

Sun, 06/08/2014 – Sun, 09/07/2014

Scheller Gallery

With works by some of the greatest names in European art, Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums examined the thematic and stylistic developments in Italian art, from the religious paintings of the late Middle Ages and Renaissance to the secular neoclassical and genre paintings of the nineteenth century. The exhibition’s summer 2014 stop at the Allentown Art Museum was its only appearance on the East Coast.

Organized into five chronological sections, Of Heaven and Earth included paintings originating from the principal artistic centers of Italy—Rome, Milan, Bologna, Florence, Siena, Naples, and Venice—and presented the works of artists such as Giovanni Bellini, Sandro Botticelli, Domenichino, Francesco Guardi, Salvator Rosa, and Titian alongside those of lesser-known masters. Many of these works were conserved specifically in anticipation of this tour. The exhibition highlighted significant new research and discoveries relating to attribution, dates, provenance, infrared analysis, and the reconstruction of fragmented altarpieces.

The accompanying catalogue featured essays on Glasgow’s collections and the museum’s Italian paintings by Guest Curator Peter Humfrey, an internationally renowned specialist in Italian art history who teaches at the University of St. Andrews.

After its run at the Allentown Art Museum, the exhibition continued on to the Milwaukee Art Museum (October 1, 2014–January 4, 2015) and the Santa Barbara Museum of Art (February 6, 2015–May 3, 2015). It previously appeared at the Oklahoma City Museum of Art and the Art Gallery of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada.

Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian painting from Glasgow Museums is organized by the American Federation of Arts and Glasgow Museums. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and Humanities. The exhibition tour is generously supported by the JFM Foundation and Mrs. Donald M. Cox. In-kind support is provided by Barbara and Richard S. Lane and Christie’s.

Andrea Casali, Triumph of Galatea, ca. 1740–65, oil on canvas, 28 3/16 x 34 5/16 in. (71.5 x 87.2 cm). Bequeathed by Archibald McLellan, 1856 (195). © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection. Courtesy American Federation of Arts

Cavaliere d’Arpino (Giuseppe Cesari), Archangel Michael and the Rebel Angels, ca. 1592–93, oil on tin leaf (?)–coated copper, 22 13/16 x 16 1/2 in. Glasgow Museums. Bequeathed by Archibald McLellan, 1856 (153) © CSG CIC Glasgow Museums Collection. Courtesy American Federation of Arts