Venice, Mary Weatherford's watercolors inspired by Titian on display at Palazzo Grimani

Watercolors by Mary Weatherford (Ojai, California, 1963) are featured in an exhibition among the Renaissance wonders of the Museum of Palazzo Grimani in Venice, April 20 through Nov. 27, 2022. On display are the works that make up the cycle The Flaying of Marsyas (which is also the title of the exhibition), inspired by Titian Vecellio’s great masterpiece of the same name, the Supplizio di Marsia of 1570-76, now housed in the Archbishop’s Museum of Kroměříž in the Czech Republic. The exhibition was designed in collaboration with architect and designer Kulapat Yantrasast and opens in conjunction with the start of the Art Biennale.

It is a cycle of works that reflect the fascination with Weatherford’s painting of Cadore. Inspired by Titian’s delicate palette and paying homage to the characteristic light of Venice, Weatherford uses Flashe paint and neon lights to restore the effect of the ancient canvas. The artist responds to Titian’s composition by translating the violent character of his mythological theme into a more spontaneous form, also alluding to fate, haughtiness and the relationship between the human and the divine.

Mary Weatherford’sThe Flaying of Marsyas completes the museum’s current exhibition program, which features both classical and contemporary art. The main floor of Palazzo Grimani is currently hosting the exhibitions Domus Grimani, which focuses on the return of classical statues from the Grimani collection to the palace, and Archinto, an exhibition of new and recent work by Georg Baselitz, which includes twelve canvases made especially for the Sala del Portego, a long-term loan from the artist to the museum. The Flaying of Marsyas and Archinto both present the work of contemporary artists who have drawn inspiration from a building that represents the Renaissance in Venice in an unusual way, being Tuscan-Roman rather than Venetian in style. The myth of Marsyas is also represented in Francesco Salviati ’s frescoes decorating the ceiling of the Camerino di Apollo, thus creating an additional link between the palace and Weatherford’s new cycle.

Both The Flaying of Marsyas and Archinto are produced by Gagosian and organized in collaboration with the Direzione Regionale Musei del Veneto and the Venetian Heritage Foundation. The exhibition can be visited during the museum’s opening hours: Tuesday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. (last admission 6:30 p.m., no reservation required). Mondays closed, April 25 open, April 26 closed. Tickets: full 12 euros, reduced 6 euros (rate activated on special events and days and for residents on Wednesdays), reduced youth 18-25 years 2 euros.

Venice, Mary Weatherford's watercolors inspired by Titian on display at Palazzo Grimani

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