Udine hosts first retrospective dedicated to Giovanni da Udine, between Raphael and Michelangelo

From December 12, 2020 to March 14, 2021, the first retrospective devoted to Giovanni da Udine (Udine, 1487 - Rome, 1561) will be held in Udine. Curated by Liliana Cargnelutti and Caterina Furlan, Giovanni da Udine between Raphael and Michelangelo (1487-1561) showcases for the first time a considerable number of drawings from European museums and an American private collection, testifying to his skill in depicting the animal and plant world, particularly birds. Stuccoes, engravings, documents, letters, books and more will also document the artist’s multifaceted activity.

Sections devoted to prints and architectural drawings allow visitors to learn about the main places and environments where Giovanni da Udine was active: from the Farnesina to the Vatican Loggias, from Villa Madama to the Sacrestia Nuova of San Lorenzo in Florence. The historical and cultural context of the time in which he lived is reconstructed through books, documents and films. A special section reproposes at the Udine Castle the documentary exhibition held in April 2017 at the Farnesina, dedicated to the festoons made by the artist in the Loggia of Psyche.

The exhibition also aims to offer visitors an itinerary to admire live the architectural works, frescoes and stuccoes made by Giovanni da Udine and his collaborators in the Castle of Colloredo di Montalbano, Spilimbergo, San Daniele del Friuli and Udine. And the itinerary continues outside Friuli, with stops in Venice, for a visit to Palazzo Grimani, and in Rome, where his most famous works are preserved.

A multifaceted artist, Giovanni da Udine devoted himself to drawing, painting, architecture, stucco and restoration. Raphael wanted him by his side in the Loggia di Psiche at the Farnesina and in the Vatican Loggias, Michelangelo held him in high esteem, and Clement VII entrusted him with delicate restoration and decoration work in both Rome and Florence. He remained in Rome even after Raphael’s death, but around the mid-1630s he returned to Udine, intending to “touch no more brushes.” However, pressured by commissions, he did not maintain his self-retirement. He created the long stucco and fresco frieze in Spilimbergo Castle and, in Venice, the decoration of two small rooms in Palazzo Grimani. As an architect, he designed the monumental double-ramp staircase in the Udine Castle, thanks to which the public will be able to access the Parliament Hall that houses the retrospective.
The exhibition is sponsored by the City of Udine.

For more info: www.civicimuseiudine.it

Image: Giovanni da Udine, detail of the pergola of the Loggias (Vatican City, Apostolic Palace)

Udine hosts first retrospective dedicated to Giovanni da Udine, between Raphael and Michelangelo

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