Caiati Old Masters Relocates to New Milan Space with Single-Work Show

Caiati Old Masters, a gallery specializing in Old Master paintings and sculpture since 1993, has moved from Via del Gesù to Via Santa Marta in central Milan after nearly three decades. The inaugural exhibition, on view from November 14 to 29, 2019, features a single work: an anatomical drawing in red pencil on paper (317 x 193 mm) dating to around 1540 by Jan Van Calcar, a pupil of Titian. The drawing is a preparatory sketch for Andreas Vesalius's Renaissance medical treatise De Humani Corporis Fabrica, published in Basel in 1543 by Johannes Oporinus. Only three such skeletal drawings exist worldwide, making this a unique piece. Gallery director Mattia Caiati, who runs the gallery with his father Roberto Caiati, explained that focusing on one work concentrates attention and underscores its importance. The gallery plans to continue dealing in art from the 16th to 19th centuries while fostering dialogue between the market and academia. Special preview openings on Monday and Tuesday before the inauguration are reserved for students and scholars. Caiati criticized the perception of old art as boring compared to contemporary art, and aims to revitalize interest through contemporary-style promotion, including a modern teaser video.