Saturday, May 21 on Zoom
10am Los Angeles & Phoenix, 1pm NY & Toronto, 6pm London, 7pm Florence
Art exhibitions are times to celebrate and reveal what we’ve learned about an artist. But they can also be opportunities to acknowledge the imperfect state of our knowledge, the mysteries we still need to solve, and ask what else we would like to know. The current year will see three exhibits—in Florence, Berlin, and London—dedicated to the art of Donatello (1386 - 1466). Donatello helped to forge a new kind of art—one that came to define the Renaissance. His work was progressive, challenging, and even controversial. Professor Victor Coonin, is the author of the first biography of the artist to appear in 25 years, Donatello and the Dawn of Renaissance. He also contributed several essays to the catalogue for the V&A Museum portion of the exhibition. In this edition of Paola's Studiolo, Prof. Coonin will reflect upon some of the secrets that still remain in Donatello studies. This is a lecture offering more questions than answers but perhaps this year's once-in-a-lifetime exhibitions will help solve the mysteries that persist with this most important yet somewhat enigmatic artist.
With degrees from Oberlin College, Syracuse University, and Rutgers University, Professor Coonin has published widely on the Italian Renaissance as historian, critic, and reviewer. He is author of the recently published book Donatello and the Dawn of Renaissance Art, and the monograph From Marble to Flesh: The Biography of Michelangelo's David. He has also edited or co-edited four other books on Renaissance Art, and has written dozens of influential articles, encyclopedia essays, and catalogue entries for leading European and American venues, including The Metropolitan Museum Journal, The Burlington Magazine, Artibus et Historiae, and The Sculpture Journal. Professor Coonin is a former Fulbright Fellow and an active member of the College Art Association, Italian Art Society, Renaissance Society of America, and the Archaeological Institute of America. He also appears occasionally on radio and television as an expert. His work has been supported by grants from the Mellon Foundation and Kress Foundation, among others. Professor Coonin lives in Memphis with his wife and two children.
To RSVP: Paola50122@gmail.com
Minimum suggested donation: $20
This talk is free for Friends of Paola's Studiolo!
