June 2007 - Nr. 6
Bernini in Focus
Summer Exhibition Showcases Master Baroque Sculptor
Toronto – Gian Lorenzo Bernini ranks among the most important sculptors of the 17th century. Only a handful of his works are found outside Italy. This summer the AGO is proud to present the only three in Canadian public collections. Bernini in Focus opens on June 23 and remains on view until October 7, 2007.
The exhibition features two works from the AGO's collection. The recent acquisition Corpus, donated by the Murray Frum family, was cast around 1650 and measures over 5 feet. It is believed to have been part of the artist's personnal collection. The marble bust of Pope Gregory XV (1621) was donated to the AGO by Joey and Toby Tanenbaum in 1997. Also on display is a marble bust of Pope Urban VIII (c. 1632) on loan from the National Gallery of Canada. Shown together for the first time these works attest to Bernini's skill as an accomplished sculptor.
"Bernini demonstrates an unsurpassed ability to depict the body naturalistically, while expressing the state of mind and soul of his subjects," says Michael Parke-Taylor, acting curator of European Art. "It is very exciting to show these three works from such an important artist together for the first time."
Gian Lorenzo Bernini (1598-1680) was born in Naples, Italy, and is perhaps best known today as the architect of the colonnade that frames St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. In his own time he was celebrated across Europe as a sculptor, both in marble and bronze. Gian Lorenzo was a child prodigy. By age ten he had already come to the attention of the first of eight popes that he was to serve over a long and distinguished career. Together they transformed Rome into a city of grand spaces and monuments.
Bernini in Focus is generously supported by The Volunteers of the Art Gallery of Ontario.
Bernini in Focus is one of five exhibitions comprising the AGO's extraordinary summer lineup. The following exhibitions are also on view June 23: Medieval and Renaissance Treasures from the Victoria and Albert Museum; Hungry God: Indian Contemporary Art; and A Couple of Ways of Doing Something featuring photographs by Chuck Close and poems by Bob Holman. Treasures of the Tsimshian from the Dundas Collection, featuring 39 First Nations objects from the 18th and 19th centuries, opens July 18 and remains on view until October 7, 2007.
This distinct offering allows audiences to engage in various art experiences for one ticketed price of $15, before the reopening of the transformed AGO in 2008.
