Botticelli as Artist and Designer: Paris Exhibition at Musée Jacquemart-André

The Musée Jacquemart-André in Paris presents 'Botticelli artiste et designer', a retrospective running until January 24, 2022, curated by Ana Debenedetti and Pierre Curie. This is the first Botticelli exhibition in Paris since 2003, when Daniel Arasse organized a show at the Musée du Luxembourg. The current exhibition frames Sandro Botticelli (Florence, 1445–1510) as the head of a prosperous workshop that catered to demanding clients under Lorenzo de' Medici and later produced religious works for followers of Girolamo Savonarola. The term 'designer' emphasizes his creative and entrepreneurial role, highlighting his craftsmanship in painting, manuscripts, textiles, and furniture, rivaling Verrocchio and the Pollaiolo brothers. Around forty works are displayed chronologically and thematically across eight rooms, including loans from the Musée du Louvre, National Gallery London, Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, Vatican Museums, Uffizi Florence, and Gemäldegalerie Berlin. Iconic pieces include the Madonna del Magnificat, La Bella Simonetta, and the Venus of Berlin, alongside illustrations for Dante's Divine Comedy and Petrarch's Canzoniere. The exhibition draws on the museum's founders Nélie Jacquemart and Edouard André's passion for Florentine art. Critic Arianna Piccolo questions the 'designer' label, comparing it to the 2019 Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre, but acknowledges the power of Botticelli's works.