A self-portrait by the Italian sculptor Baccio Bandinelli in the museum’s collection was the inspiration for this exhibition. In the painting, the artist points not to a finished sculptural work (for which he was best known) but to a preparatory drawing for one. How important was drawing to Renaissance sculptors, who worked more frequently in clay and wax while roughing out their ideas? This exhibition presents works on paper by Renaissance masters in an attempt to understand their significance.
Click here for the curator’s introduction to the exhibition
‘Donatello, Michelangelo, Cellini: Sculptors’ Drawings from Renaissance Italy’ is at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum from 23 October–19 January 2015.