Antonello da Messina: a book

I’ve never really suffered from nostalgia. But sometimes sitting here at my work table in England, I’d like to quickly transport myself to Milan. Especially when there are interesting art exhibitions. I know that sooner or later, in one way or another, they also pass through here, certainly in London … but I always associate certain things with my hometown, Milan. In a few days Antonello da Messina’s exhibition at the Palazzo Reale will be over (2nd of June) and immediately after this wonderful new publication by Skira Editore arrives. To flick through. To be inspired.

Antonello da Messina is considered as on of the greatest portrait artists
of the 1400s and a fundamental contributor to the history of Italian
painting. Giorgio Vasari narrates how the artist learned the secret of oil
painting from Jan van Eyck, and brought it back from Bruges to the
Mediterranean. Unfortunately now, only a handful of works by him
remain, having escaped tragic natural calamities and standing the test of
time; the works that have survived can be found in various collections
and major museums such as Le Louvre, The National Gallery, the
Dresden Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister, etc.

Accompanying the extraordinary exhibition Antonello da Messina at
Palazzo Reale in Milan (until 2 July 2019), this exceptional monograph
presents the entire body of work of this master and is a unique
opportunity to enter the artist’s world. It provides an unprecedented
critical analysis of the entire career of the artist by art historians such as
Giovanni Battista Cavalcaselle, his modern commentator, and Renzo Villa.
With introductions by the curators, this volume presents the catalogue of
all of Antonello’s works, with selected essays. As a special tribute to da Messina’s genius, five of the authors – Roberto Alajmo, Nicola Gardini, Jhumpa Lahiri, Giorgio Montefoschi and Elisabetta Rasy – also describe one favourite work from their own perspective.

Details:
Master of Italian Renaissance | Exhibition catalogue Antonello da Messina
Edited by Caterina Cardona, Giovanni Carlo Federico Villa
An exceptional volume that presents the entire painting oeuvre by Antonello da Messina (1430-1479), one of the most important artists of Italian Renaissance.