Nel segno di Masaccio: The Invention of Perspective
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The exhibition (only in Italian) – which is an outstanding contribution to the celebrations for the 600th anniversary of Masaccio’s birth – presents the developments of the art of perspective, the introduction of which the Tuscan artist contributed to figurative art. The ten exhibition sections show the growing interest for perspective that gradually moved from artists' work to scientific applications, emphasising the enormous cultural importance of an event crucial for both the arts and mathematical sciences. The word “invention” in the subtitle refers more to the coding of the method attracting artists’ and scientists’ interest than to the moment of “discovery” per se. Over thirty models and replicas of perspective and measuring instruments are displayed in the exhibition, along with original artworks such as paintings, engravings, manuscripts, printed books and ancient scientific devices. Two films about Masaccio’s Trinity and Jan van Eyck’s Ghent Altar-piece complete the exhibition.


Exhibition Dates

16.10.2001 – 07.04.2002 Florence, Museo degli Argenti