Donatello, Inventor of the Renaissance

Writing in 1568 Giorgio Vasari described Donatello in the following terms: ‘he was not only a very rare sculptor and a marvellous statuary, but also a practised worker in stucco, an able master of perspective, and greatly esteemed as an architect…’ an assessment never since questioned. No other figure involved in the creation of what we now call ‘the renaissance’ was as influential, the catalyst for one of the great revolutions in the history of art. We are very lucky that the final iteration of an extraordinary exhibition on Donatello opens at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum from 11 Feb to 11 June. First seen in Florence, then in Berlin, the exhibitions are the result of unprecedented cooperation between museums and scholars not only in each of the three cities, but from the wider museum world in Europe and the United States. All the exhibitions share certain key works, but due to the scale and/or fragility of some pieces which prevents them being lent outside of Florence, each version of the exhibition is that little bit different. In Florence, the exhibition was divided between two centres and allowed visitors to see the works within the physical context for which many of them were specifically created. In Berlin, and now in London, a subtly different emphasis was and will be deployed, looking at not only the sculptor’s stylistic development, but with more emphasis on the equally fascinating relationship between Donatello and his contemporaries, with both themes supported by some spectacular loans. In celebration of this unique and unprecedented opportunity, I shall give two webinar lectures on Donatello, Inventor of the Renaissance, 8 & 9 March.