New York, major exhibition of 14th-century Sienese art coming to the Metropolitan

This fall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York will host the first major exhibition in the United States focusing on 14th-century Sienese painting. Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350, that is the title of the exhibition, will examine Sienese primitives by analyzing the central role of painters such as Duccio di Buoninsegna, Pietro and Ambrogio Lorenzetti, and Simone Martini in defining Western painting. In the decades leading up to the catastrophic plague epidemic of 1348, Siena was the site of extraordinary artistic innovation and activity. The exhibition aims to offer a new perspective on Siena’s importance, from Duccio’s profound influence on a new generation of painters to the development of narrative altarpieces and the spread of artistic styles beyond Italy. The date at the Met is October 13, 2024 to January 26, 2025, and the exhibition has been organized by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the National Gallery in London. Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300-1350 is curated by Stephan Wolohojian, curator of European paintings at the Met; Laura Llewellyn, curator of Italian paintings before 1500 at the National Gallery, London; and Caroline Campbell, director of the National Gallery of Ireland; in collaboration with Joanna Cannon, Professor at the Courtauld Institute of Art.

Drawing on the exceptional collections of the Met and the National Gallery, London, as well as rare loans from several other international institutions, the exhibition will showcase more than 100 works by an extraordinary group of Sienese artists. It will contain paintings alongside sculptures, metalwork and textiles, ranging from large works created for public display to intimate objects created for private devotion. Highlights will include Duccio’s Stoclet Madonna, Ambrogio Lorenzetti’sAnnunciation, and historical reunifications of major painting complexes, such as the predella of Duccio’s Maestà and Simone Martini’s Orsini Polyptych. Although none of these painters lived beyond 1348, their achievements had an immeasurable impact on painters and theorists in later centuries.

“Siena was an epicenter of artistic innovation and ambition in the 14th and 15th century. Its impact on the development of European art and on the development of painting cannot be underestimated”, said Max Hollein, The Met’s Marina Kellen French Director and CEO. “This monumental exhibition will bring together the most important group of early Sienese paintings ever assembled outside of Siena—offering a once-in-a-lifetime chance to explore the influence of this extraordinary artistic center”.

Stephan Wolohojian, curator in charge of European paintings at the Met, said, “The distinctive artistic language of Duccio, the Lorenzetti brothers, Simone Martini and their contemporaries completely reshaped the course of European painting. Examining the bold work of these Sienese artists allows us to trace the germination of many of the key ideas that preoccupied artists working in Italy in later centuries.”

After its debut at the Met, the exhibition will be on view at the National Gallery in London from March 8 to June 22, 2025. A richly illustrated catalog will accompany the exhibition.

New York, major exhibition of 14th-century Sienese art coming to the Metropolitan

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