Hans Clemer, the forgotten painter who worked like Dürer, resurfaces in Saluzzo

A major exhibition in Saluzzo, Italy, rediscovers Hans Clemer, a Flemish-born painter active between 1480 and 1512 who worked across Flanders, Provence, Germany, and Italy. The show 'Tesori del Marchesato di Saluzzo,' curated by Simone Baiocco and promoted by Fondazione Artea, runs until October 31 across three venues: Monastero della Stella, Casa Cavassa, and La Castiglia. Clemer's masterpiece, the 'Madonna della Misericordia' (1499-1500), is displayed at Casa Cavassa alongside other works like the 'Madonna del Coniglio' (1503-05), whose hyperrealistic rabbit recalls Albrecht Dürer's animal studies. Clemer was protected by Margherita di Foix, wife of Marquis Ludovico II of Saluzzo, and settled in Saluzzo after marrying local Caterina Milaneti. His style blends Flemish precision with German and Italian iconography. Despite his output, Clemer was forgotten after Margherita's pro-French stance forced her exile in 1531, and only rediscovered in recent decades thanks to scholar Marco Piccat.