(February 9, 2017) “As an Italian, I am proud that the works of Luca della Robbia and his contemporaries are the subject of an exhibition all to themselves which brings them once again to the attention of the US public. Their ingenuity, creativity and capacity for innovation are their hallmarks, and perfectly reflect some of Italy’s distinctive qualities”: so said the Ambassador of Italy to the US Armando Varricchio, commenting the exhibition on three generations of the Italian della Robbia family of master sculptors and their competitors, open until June 4 at the National Gallery of Art. Luca della Robbia’s (1399/1400-1482) continuous research on new materials, besides the traditional marble and bronze, brought him to create a new technique that allowed his masterpieces to last several centuries without any deterioration. The technique is the glazing of terracotta, and it allowed for a durable material like terracotta to be transformed into bright and lasting masterpieces. When visiting Italy, Americans who were passionate about Italian Renaissance art were also very fascinated by Luca della Robbia’s pieces and managed to purchase many of them. Consequently most of the works on display at the exhibition are from private American collections. On view will also be The Visitation, the sculpture usually displayed in the San Giovanni Fuorcivitas Church in Pistoia. This work together with three sculptures from the Museo Nazionale del Bargello, and one from the Oratorio di San Tommaso d’Aquino in Florence, are on view, for the very first time outside Italy. (Red)
