Renaissance master Raphael honoredat New York’s Met museum

AFP

Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and now Raphael: the prestigious Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is dedicating a retrospective to the third of the great masters of the Italian Renaissance.

The exhibition, which opened on Sunday, March 29, traces the career of Raffaello di Giovanni Santi: from his training in his hometown of Urbino, in central Italy, to his time at the papal court in Rome, prior to his death in 1520 at the age of 37.

Among the highlights are the first painting he completed entirely on his own, as well as the tapestries designed for the Sistine Chapel.

Carmen Bambach, a specialist in the Italian Renaissance, has curated 175 works by Raphael for the first major exhibition dedicated to the painter in the United States.

“Supreme and Sublime Beauty and Perfection”

“If we limit ourselves to observing his paintings, we perceive that supreme and sublime beauty and perfection,” she told AFP.

By displaying them alongside his preparatory drawings, visitors can gain a better understanding of Raphael’s creative process.

“These are very intimate works. It truly gives you the sense of being right there, looking over his shoulder, watching him as he experiments with his ideas,” commented Bambach.

She also noted that the human figures depicted by Raphael served as a “model for 300 years” for generations of artists.

Italian-American actress Isabella Rossellini lends her voice to the exhibition’s audio guide, which brings together works from various museums, including the Louvre in France.

“Raphael: Sublime Poetry” will be open to the public until June 28, 2026.