Giotto and St. Francis: A Revolution in 14th-Century Umbria

The Galleria Nazionale dell'Umbria in Perugia will host the exhibition "Giotto e San Francesco. Una rivoluzione nell'Umbria del Trecento" from March 14 to June 14, 2026. The show marks the eighth centenary of St. Francis's death and examines the transformative encounter between Franciscan spirituality and a new pictorial language that broke from Byzantine rigidity. Over sixty works trace Giotto's evolution from his early career to maturity, highlighting his role in defining new visual codes at the Basilica of San Francesco in Assisi. Alongside Giotto, the exhibition features Simone Martini and Pietro Lorenzetti, key figures of the Gothic period who developed Giotto's legacy. A distinctive focus is on Umbrian artists often overlooked in art history, such as the Maestro della Croce di Gubbio and the Espressionista di Santa Chiara, whose works assimilated and reinterpreted innovations from the masters. The exhibition extends beyond the museum to the Basilica of San Francesco and the Museo del Tesoro del Sacro Convento, where Guccio di Mannaia's celebrated chalice exemplifies the sophisticated patronage behind this artistic revolution. The project includes restorations, diagnostic investigations, reconstructions of dismembered works, and an immersive video recreating visual itineraries for medieval pilgrims, making the exhibition both a display and a research laboratory.