Reimagining the Renaissance

after Hans Holbein The Younger, born Ausburg, Germany 1497, died London 1543, King Henry VIII, c 1540s, London, oil on wood panel, 65.0 x 57.5 cm, 89.5 x 81.5 x 9.0 cm (frame); A.M. and A. R. Ragless Bequest Funds 1965, Art Gallery of South Australia, Adelaide

The European Renaissance witnessed profound artistic and cultural change, a rebirth following the devastating loss of knowledge in the so-called ‘Dark Ages’. During this new and transformative period in art, notions of form, colour and perception changed fundamentally and an artistic revolution was born, most notably in the understanding of composition and realism and the rise of humanism. Throughout art history, the Italian Renaissance has taken centre stage and is regarded as one of the most important periods of artistic revolution and development, often overshadowing the artistic developments simultaneously occurring in other parts of Europe.

Drawing from the Art Gallery of South Australia’s important collection of painting, sculpture, works on paper and decorative arts, alongside key loans from public and private collections, this exhibition explores Northern and English Renaissance art together with that of the celebrated Italian masters to recontextualise these works within a broader art historical tradition and their continuing significance today. Placing humanism at its centre, Reimagining the Renaissance provides an account of the revolutionary changes in art across Europe.