For Immediate Release
January 20, 2016
[Digital images available upon request]
CLARK BRINGS MASTERPIECES FROM SPAIN’S PRADO MUSEUM TO U.S. IN
SPLENDOR, MYTH, AND VISION: NUDES FROM THE PRADO
Exclusively at the Clark June 11 – October 10, 2016;
exhibition marks first U.S. presentation of twenty-four Old Master paintings
Williamstown, Massachusetts—In summer 2016 the Clark Art Institute is the exclusive venue
for Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes from the Prado. The exhibition, co-organized by the
Clark and the Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid, consists of twenty-eight Old Master
paintings of the nude, twenty-four of which have never traveled to the United States. The
exhibition examines the collecting of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century paintings of the nude
at the Spanish court, explores the histories of these works and their display in the Spanish
Royal Collections, and reconsiders the significant role of the nude in European art. The
exhibition will be on view June 11–October 10, 2016.
The Prado’s collection of Old Master paintings, widely recognized as one of the most
important in the world, is characterized by a significant concentration of mythological,
allegorical, historical, and religious paintings depicting nudes. The works presented in
Splendor, Myth, and Vision were selected from the Prado’s unparalleled holdings, not only for
their relationship to the exhibition’s themes, but also for their individual histories and artistic
merit.
“It is a privilege for the Clark to bring this important collection of paintings to the United States
and a great thrill to present them in our new galleries,” said Francis Oakley, interim director of
the Clark. “Our collaboration with the Museo Nacional del Prado began when the Clark’s suite
of paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir was presented in the Prado’s galleries in 2010 and
became one of the most successful exhibitions in the Prado’s history. We are confident that
this exhibition of the Prado’s masterpieces will be welcomed with equal fervor here and look
forward to providing our visitors with a rare and wonderful opportunity to enjoy these
exceptional works and to consider the rich historical themes explored in Splendor, Myth, and
Vision.”
The exhibition explores the Spanish monarchy’s collection and display of sensual paintings
during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries in major works by Titian (Italian, c. 1488–
1576), Peter Paul Rubens (Flemish, 1577–1640), Jacopo Tintoretto (Italian, 1519–1594),
Diego Velázquez (Spanish, 1599–1660); Jusepe de Ribera (Spanish, c. 1591–1652), and Jan
Brueghel the Elder (Flemish, 1568–1625), among others. The exhibition places particular
emphasis on two of the greatest art patrons of their time: Philip II (r. 1556–1598) and Philip IV
(r. 1621–1665). The exhibition includes important portraits of these patrons—Philip II painted
by Titian in 1549–50, and Philip IV painted by Diego Velázquez, c. 1653–55.
Most of the works of art in the exhibition—many of which depict eroticized, mythological,
female nudes—were made for or collected by a succession of Spanish kings as articulations
of their secular and religious power, as reminders of virtue and vice, and as objects of private
delight. A number of these paintings within the Spanish Royal Collections were secluded from
public view in private, or reserved, rooms known as salas reservadas. When the Museo del
Prado opened to the public in the nineteenth century, the tradition continued with many of the
paintings of the nude being placed in a specially designated room. The museum’s sala
reservada existed between 1827 and 1838.
The survival of paintings of the nude collected by the Spanish monarchy is a compelling story
of the clash between public morals, private tastes, and the exercise of power. While Philip II
and Philip IV celebrated depictions of the human form, Philip III (r. 1598–1621) was troubled
by nudity and kept many works collected by his father out of sight, feeling that they were in
conflict with his religiosity. Even more extreme, Charles III (r. 1759–1788) and Charles IV
(r. 1788–1808) considered having the paintings destroyed to avoid the moral corruption of
those who might view them. Subsequently, many of these works were placed in the Academy
of San Fernando with the dual intention of limiting public access to the paintings and providing
pedagogical tools to students. More than two centuries later, the nude continues to evoke
powerful responses across the spectrum of emotion, from censorship to celebrated
acceptance.
Philip II, Titian, and the Venetian Nude
Philip II was one of the most important patrons of the Venetian painter Titian, commissioning
from him a number of portraits and mythological paintings that celebrated the nude. The most
erotically charged of these paintings were kept away from public view in private chambers
near the king’s quarters. Because of the high concentration of works by the artist, these and
similar rooms later became known as the Bovedas de Titian (Titian Vaults).
Titian and Jacopo Tintoretto were two of the most important Venetian artists of the sixteenth
century, both known for their sensual depictions of the female nude. Venus with an Organist
and Cupid (Titian, c. 1550–1555), which was housed in the Titian Vaults, depicts a reclining
Venus accompanied by a male musician. Titian made several versions of this composition, a
subject that appealed to the sophisticated collectors of the time. The painting weaves together
love, erotic desire, and the senses in an exploration of beauty and harmony.
Joseph and Potiphar’s Wife (c. 1555) and Susannah and the Elders (c. 1555), both by Jacopo
Tintoretto, were also displayed in the Titian Vaults. They are included in the exhibition as
outstanding examples of the artist’s use of the nude figure in depicting biblical stories with an
emphasis on the sensual and exotic.
Domenico Tintoretto’s Lady Revealing Her Breast (c. 1580–90), a work that was housed in the
sala reservada, is a mysterious painting depicting a courtesan. It has been suggested that the
woman shown is Veronica Franco, the most celebrated Venetian courtesan of the second half
of the sixteenth century. However, the identity of the sitter has never been confirmed. Unlike
other images of courtesans, who generally look directly at the viewer, this painting depicts a
profile. The bold presentation of the young woman’s breasts creates a contradiction that
serves to enhance the painting’s sensuality.
Philip IV and Rubens
Philip IV built a number of new royal residences, including an opulent hunting lodge known as
the Torre de la Parada. A major patron of Rubens, Philip IV commissioned him to paint more
than sixty mythologies based on Ovid’s Metamorphoses for the lodge. These massive
canvases were installed in one large room, creating a stunning visual effect. Rubens’s
advanced age at the time of the commission made it impossible for him to execute all of the
works himself, leading him to rely on members of his studio and various assistants to create
many of the works based on his oil sketches. Two of the fourteen paintings executed by
Rubens himself for the lodge are included in the exhibition: Fortuna (1636) and Rape of
Hippodamia or The Lapiths and the Centaurs (1636–38). Another of the Torre de la Parada
paintings included in the exhibition, the Marriage of Peleus and Thetis (1636–38), was
executed by Jacob Jordaens (Flemish, 1593–1678), an associate of Rubens.
Fortuna is a stunning full-length nude depicting the goddess of fortune balancing on a sphere
set within a stormy landscape. The goddess represents the varied chances of life; she can
bring happiness, but also misfortune. Fortuna epitomizes Rubens’s beautiful rendering of the
fleshy, robust female figure, a style that became his hallmark.
Measuring nearly six by ten feet, Rape of Hippodamia has a frieze-like composition; the
horizontal direction strengthens the painting’s sense of violence. The painting tells the story of
the wedding banquet of the king of the Lapiths at which the centaurs attempt to kidnap the
bride. A bloody battle ensues, resulting in the defeat of the centaurs. This myth illustrates the
battle between civilization and bestiality and could have served as a source of contemplation
for a monarch seeking to rule justly.
Rubens was a great admirer of Titian, finding inspiration in the Venetian’s vigorous brushwork
and rich use of color. In 1628, when Rubens was in Spain on a diplomatic mission, Philip IV
provided the painter with private access to the Titian paintings in his collections at the Alcázar
Palace, many of them collected by Phillip II. Rubens painted a number of replicas of Titian’s
works, including one of the greatest masterpieces presented in the exhibition: Rape of Europa
(1628–29), painted at the height of Rubens’s artistic power and considered a bravura homage
from one great artist to another. Purchased by Philip IV upon Rubens’s death in 1640, the
painting depicts Europa being abducted by Zeus, who had taken the form of a white bull. It
was this painting that firmly established Rubens’s reputation as the heir to Titian and,
significantly, linked the collecting and patronage of Philip IV with that of his grandfather Philip
II, who had acquired Titian’s Rape of Europa directly from the artist in 1562.
The history of this painting’s subsequent display is particularly interesting as it illustrates the
changing attitude of various monarchs toward depictions of the nude form and an inconsistent
approach to their display. For reasons unknown––and despite its nudity––the painting was not
isolated from view during the eighteenth century, nor was it placed in the sala reservada in the
Prado in the nineteenth century.
The Nude in the Landscape of the Spanish Netherlands
Splendor, Myth, and Vision presents a selection of cabinet pictures—small, finely executed
paintings—that place the nude within the context of seventeeth-century Flemish landscape
painting. Landscape with Psyche and Jupiter (1610) was originally painted by Paul Bril
(Flemish, 1554–1626) as a landscape with the figure of St. Jerome. The painting later
belonged to Rubens, who removed the figure of Jerome and added the figures of Psyche and
Jupiter, thus changing the painting from a religious to a mythological scene.
Two versions of Abundance with the Four Elements by Jan Brueghel the Elder (Flemish,
1568–1625) are included in the exhibition. One (c. 1600–1625) was painted in collaboration
with Hendrik van Balen (Flemish, c. 1574/75–1632); the other (1606) was painted with Hendrik
de Clerck (Flemish, c. 1570–1630). Both cabinet pictures depict the plentitude and tranquility
of the natural and human worlds.
The Male Nude – Hercules and Saint Sebastian
Although the predominant nude figure in paintings from this period was female, the male nude
also plays an important role in the story of the monarchs’ collecting and patronage. In 1634,
Philip IV commissioned Francisco de Zurbarán (Spanish, 1598–1664) to paint a series of ten
paintings for the Hall of the Realms in the Buen Retiro Palace, a space of significant
ceremonial and political function within the palace complex.
The Hercules series is arguably the most important group of male nudes in Spanish painting.
Zurbarán used strong light and shadow to model the anatomy, articulating limbs in a highly
contrasted manner to bring out the musculature. This approach was well suited to the powerful
and heroic physique of Hercules, whose nude form became a metaphor for royal authority and
power. Two paintings from the series, Hercules Defeats the King Geryon (1634–35) and
Hercules and the Hydra (1634–35) are presented in the exhibition.
In the early seventeenth century religious painting found a new visual language that
sometimes utilized the human body provocatively. Images of saints, created as inspiration to
the faithful during the Counter-Reformation, were remarkable for their realistic depiction of the
pain of martyrdom and the joy of religious ecstasy. Saint Sebastian, the martyr ordered killed
by the Roman emperor Diocletian, was a frequent subject of such devotional pictures.
Sebastian is usually shown bound to a tree and shot with arrows in what turned out to be a
first failed attempt at killing him.
Three noted portrayals of Sebastian are included in the exhibition, allowing for a consideration
of different approaches to the depiction of the saint in the Counter-Reformation and in the
rendering of the male nude. Jusepe de Ribera’s version (1636) emphasizes the saint’s inner
experience as he quietly accepts his death and prepares to give up his soul and enter
Heaven. In contrast, Guido Reni’s (Italian, 1575–1642) earlier painting (c. 1617–19) displays a
languid eroticism. At some point in its history, probably during the eighteenth century, the
picture was considered too risqué, and the saint’s loincloth, which suggestively slips down his
midriff, was extended upwards to hide more of his right thigh and lower abdomen. Juan
Carreño’s (Spanish, 1614–1685) depiction of Sebastian’s suffering (1636) shows the influence
of Venetian and Flemish painting on Spanish Baroque painters with its combination of rich
color and carefully defined contours.
Like Reni, Guercino (Italian, 1591–1666) often drew inspiration from ancient Greek and
Roman sculpture and included the nude in religious paintings. Susannah and the Elders
(1617) depicts the apocryphal Old Testament story of Susannah being propositioned by the
town’s elders. When she refuses their advances, she is threatened with accusations of
adultery. This masterpiece of composition and color is as much about voyeurism as it is about
the tale of Susannah. Guercino shows the elders observing Susannah from their hiding place,
capturing a moment of great physical and psychological tension. One of the old men leans into
the viewer’s space, extending his hand to warn us to keep still, so as not to alert Susannah to
our presence. Thus, Guercino makes the viewer a participant in this sinful indulgence.
The exhibition is the latest in a series of ongoing cultural exchanges between the Prado and
the Clark. In 2010, the exhibition Pasión por Renoir, an exclusive presentation of the Clark’s
suite of thirty-one canvases from its noted collection of works by the French Impressionist
master, drew some 370,000 visitors, making it the fourth-highest attended exhibition in the
Prado’s history. Javier Baron, the head of the Prado’s Nineteenth-Century Paintings
Department and curator of Pasión por Renoir, subsequently completed a fellowship in the
Clark’s Research and Academic Program (RAP) in 2011. In 2013, RAP welcomed Gabriele
Finaldi, then the Prado’s Deputy Director for Collections and Research (and now the Director
of the National Gallery, London) as a fellow.
Splendor, Myth, and Vision is accompanied by a fully illustrated catalogue (200 pages, $50)
published by the Clark and distributed internationally by Yale University Press. Catalogue
entries by Clark and Prado curators, among others, accompany an essay on the Spanish royal
taste in collecting by Javier Portús, head of the Prado’s seventeenth-century Spanish painting
department, and a contemporary response to understanding the nude in Renaissance and
Baroque painting written by Jill Burke, senior lecturer in the history of art at the University of
Edinburgh.
Major underwriting for Splendor, Myth, and Vision is provided by Denise Littlefield Sobel.
Generous contributors include the National Endowment for the Arts and the Malcolm Hewitt
Wiener Foundation, with additional support from Jeannene Booher, the Robert Lehman
Foundation, and Katherine and Frank Martucci. This exhibition is supported by an indemnity
from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities.
ABOUT THE CLARK
The Clark Art Institute, located in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, is one of a small
number of institutions globally that is both an art museum and a center for research, critical
discussion, and higher education in the visual arts. Opened in 1955, the Clark houses
exceptional European and American paintings and sculpture, extensive collections of master
prints and drawings, English silver, and early photography. Acting as convener through its
Research and Academic Program, the Clark gathers an international community of scholars to
participate in a lively program of conferences, colloquia, and workshops on topics of vital
importance to the visual arts. The Clark library, consisting of more than 240,000 volumes, is
one of the nation’s premier art history libraries. The Clark also houses and co-sponsors the
Williams College Graduate Program in the History of Art.
The Clark is located at 225 South Street in Williamstown, Massachusetts. Galleries are open
Tuesday through Sunday, 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is $20; free year-round for Clark
members, children 18 and younger, and students with valid ID. For more information, visit
clarkart.edu or call 413 458 2303.
ABOUT THE PRADO
The Prado Museum is Spain’s premier art museum, founded by King Ferdinand VII in 1819
which has a collection of paintings from the twelfth to the early twentieth century. It houses the
largest and most important collection of Velázquez, Goya, and Rubens in the world. It includes
several of the great masterpieces of European painting, including Rogier van der Weyden’s
Descent from the Cross, Bosch’s Garden of Earthly Delights, El Greco’s Portrait of a Man with
his Hand on his Chest, Velázquez’s Las Meninas, and Goya’s The Second of May 1808 and
The Third of May 1808. It also includes collections of ancient sculpture, decorative arts, and
drawings, prints, and photographs, including the world’s largest and most important group of
works on paper by Goya.
In 2007 the Prado opened its new extension, designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architect
Rafael Moneo, which provides the Museum with new spaces for exhibitions, conservation, and
storage. Information on the Prado’s collections and its exhibition program is offered in
considerable detail on the Museum’s website (www.museodelprado.es), which includes
valuable features such as the Online Gallery and a wide range of videos, in addition to various
interactive functions on its PradoMedia channel. The Museum is also highly active on the
internet through the social networks Facebook, Twitter, Google +, Foursquare, and YouTube,
with a significant number of followers and interactions. Prado Communications Department:
[email protected] or +34 91 330 29 60.
Press contact:
Sally Morse Majewski
Manager of PR and Marketing
[email protected]
413 458 0588