ATTRIBUTED TO GIOVANNI BELLINI (c. 1430–1516) THREE HEAD STUDIES Black chalk, the sheet extensively made up along the lower margin 1500–16 ©Trustees of the British Museum.
The exhibition ‘Italian Renaissance Drawings from the British Museum’ will be unveiled on the third floor of the Macao Museum of Art at 6:30pm on 11 April (Thursday). Jointly presented by the Macao Museum of Art (MAM), under the Cultural Affairs Bureau, and the British Museum, the exhibition features original drawings of 42 Renaissance artists including, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael, demonstrating Italian artistic achievement during this period. The first time being showcased in Macao, this selection of drawings from the British Museum is an opportunity not to be missed.
Divided into 6 sections: the Human Figure, Movement, Light, Costume and Drapery, the Natural World and Storytelling, the exhibition explores some of the themes that characterise Renaissance art. Starting from the study of the human form, it explores how artists brought life and dynamism to their compositions through the study of movement, light and shade, and costume.
Aiming at creating thoroughly inclusive museum and at exploring other senses beyond vision within the museum setting, 3D prints of a selection of the drawings will allow for a unique tactile experience of some the artworks. The museum has especially invited the British Museum exhibition curator Sarah Vowles, for a talk on 13 April (Saturday), which will be conducted in English for all those who are interested in gaining a deeper understanding about the exhibition, its topics and the techniques used by young artists in the workshops of the Renaissance. A vast public program which includes guided tours with the curator, hand-on tours to the 3D printing section of the exhibition, drawings workshops, courses, and special activities for children, for the blind and visually-impaired were carefully crafted by the Macau Museum of Art.
This exhibition is one of the events leading up to the Art Macao and part of a series of activities to celebrate the 20th founding anniversary of the Macao Museum of Art. As 2019 also marks the 500th anniversary of the passing of the great Renaissance master Leonardo da Vinci, the exhibition has been especially scheduled to be open in April to coincide with the artist’s date of birth in April 1452.
The Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum is home to the national collection of Western prints and drawings There are around 50,000 drawings and over two million prints dating from the beginning of the fifteenth century up to the present day. The collection is available to the public through the Study Room and through a programme of temporary displays, touring exhibitions and loans.
The exhibition ‘Italian Renaissance Drawings from the British Museum’ is also supported by Suzhou Museum and the Faculty of Creative Industries of the University of Saint Joseph and will be open until 30 June. For more information, please visit www.MAM.gov.mo; for enquiry, please call 8791 9814 during opening hours.
