Royal treatment for French Renaissance art
Early French Renaissance art receives the royal treatment in the
first major US exhibit devoted to the period which opened this week at
the Art Institute of Chicago.
First shown in Paris, the exhibit provides a rare glimpse of the
period in which late Gothic exuberance was influenced by the energy and
harmony of the Renaissance. The collection of nearly 120 exquisite
objects - including stained glass, tapestries, altarpieces, sculptures
and illuminated manuscripts - features art produced around 1500.
It was a dynamic period in which France entered an age of rapid
expansion and creative energy as two young kings - Charles VIII and
Louis XII - pursued dynastic claims and dreams of glory. The exhibit was
organized jointly by the Art Institute and the Reunion des Musées
Nationaux and includes treasures loaned from dozens of museums and
private collections in Europe and the United States.
The exhibit, "Kings, Queens and Courtiers: Art in Early Renaissance
France," runs through May 30. AFP
|
