John Currin's First Italian Solo Show at Museo Bardini

John Currin's first solo exhibition in Italy opened at Museo Bardini in Florence, curated by Sergio Risaliti and Antonella Nesi. The show, titled 'John Currin – Paintings', ran until October 2, 2016, in collaboration with Gagosian and supported by entrepreneur Faliero Sarti. Currin's small contemporary paintings were installed among the museum's Renaissance collections without moving any existing objects, creating dialogues with works by Donatello and others. The exhibition featured portraits of the artist's three children, his wife Rachel crowned with roses, and nude female figures juxtaposed with arms and armor. Currin's style synthesizes Botticelli, Cranach, Mannerism, Dutch Golden Age, Picasso, and Courbet, emphasizing femininity, sensuality, and grace. The museum, a neo-Renaissance former convent acquired and restored by antiquarian Stefano Bardini in 1881, houses hundreds of sculptures, paintings, and furnishings from the 15th and 16th centuries.