Matthias Wivel

An exploration of Parmigianino’s greatest Roman painting, illuminating his dynamic process of invention and the dramatic story around its creation. Parmigianino (1503–1540), whose nickname means “little man of Parma,” was the leading painter in Parma after Correggio, and is celebrated as one of the originators of Mannerism. The Vision of Saint Jerome is his first, and only, major public undertaking from his brief period in Rome. This book explores the artist’s time in the city until the dramatic events of the Sack of Rome in 1527, and places The Vision of Saint Jerome in the context of Parmigianino’s career and legacy. Featuring a selection of key surviving preparatory drawings for this altarpiece, the publication reveals Parmigianino’s inspired artistic process. Tracing the history of Parmigianino’s masterpiece after its arrival in England, the texts also provides an illuminating account of the painting’s conservation and of the artist’s reception in nineteenth-century Britain.Published by National Gallery Global/Distributed by Yale University Press

SMK – Statens Museum for Kunst er Danmarks nationalgalleri for kunst og har ansvar for landets største kunstsamling. Over 200.000 værker, der spænder over 700 år fra renæssancegrafik til nutidens kunstneriske formater. Denne bog præsenterer 50 værker fra SMK’s samling, der markerer sig som relevante lige nu, både i lyset af aktuel forskning og nylige udstillinger – og den samtid, museet er en del af. Udvalget består af kendte såvel som mindre kendte værker, som alle rummer høj kunstnerisk kvalitet og interessante historier. Bogen udpeger ikke udelukkende samlingens hovedværker, men tegner til gengæld en levende kunsthistorie gennem en evigt aktuel samling.

SMK – The National Gallery of Denmark is the country’s national museum for art and home to Denmark’s largest art collection. With over 200,000 works spanning 700 years, from Renaissance prints to contemporary artistic formats, SMK holds a wealth of treasures. This book presents 50 works from the museum's collection that stand out as particularly relevant today, informed by current research, recent exhibitions, and the contemporary context in which the museum operates. The selection includes both well-known and lesser-known pieces, all marked by high artistic quality and compelling stories. Rather than exclusively highlighting the collection's masterpieces, the book offers a vibrant art history shaped by a perpetually relevant collection.

A New York Times best art book of 2021 Titian (active 1506–1576) produced a masterful group of paintings for Philip II of Spain, celebrating the loves of gods, goddesses, and mortals. Depicting scenes from Ovid’s narrative poem Metamorphoses, Titian named them “poesie” and considered the works as visual equivalents of poetry. This volume presents a detailed study of the complete series—Danaë, Venus and Adonis, Perseus and Andromeda, Diana and Actaeon, Diana and Callisto, and The Rape of Europa, as well as The Death of Actaeon—lavishly illustrated with details of these emotionally charged paintings. The book explores Titian’s creative process and technique, in addition to his use of literary and visual sources and his correspondence with Philip II. The artistic legacy of the series for later European painting is also examined in the works of artists such as Rubens, Velázquez, and Rembrandt. Offering the most comprehensive overview of these remarkable works, Titian: Love, Desire, Death is an indispensable resource for scholars and admirers of Renaissance painting.Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:National Gallery, London (March 16–June 14, 2020)National Galleries of Scotland, Edinburgh (July 11–September 27, 2020)Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (February 11–May 9, 2021)

The first publication to consider the relationship between these two major artists of the High Renaissance Through most of Michelangelo’s working life, one of his closest colleagues was the great Venetian painter Sebastiano del Piombo (1485­–1541). The two men met in Rome in 1511, shortly after Sebastiano’s arrival from his native city, and while Michelangelo was based in Florence from 1516 to 1534 Sebastiano remained one of his Roman confidants, painting several works after partial designs by him. This landmark publication is about the artists’ extraordinary professional alliance and the friendship that underpinned it. It situates them in the dramatic context of their time, tracing their evolving artistic relationship through more than three decades of creative dialogue. Matthias Wivel and other leading scholars investigate Michelangelo’s profound influence on Sebastiano and the Venetian artist’s highly original interpretation of his friend’s formal and thematic concerns. The lavishly illustrated text examines their shared preoccupation with the depiction of death and resurrection, primarily in the life of Christ, through a close analysis of drawings, paintings, and sculpture. The book also brings the austerely beautiful work of Sebastiano to a new audience, offering a reappraisal of this less famous but most accomplished artist. Published by National Gallery Company/Distributed by Yale University PressExhibition Schedule:The National Gallery, London (03/15/17–06/25/17)