Verona Exhibition Explores Dante's Enduring Myth Through 100 Works
In Verona, the exhibition titled "Tra Dante e Shakespeare. Il mito di Verona" presents 100 artworks that emphasize Dante Alighieri's ties to the city, featuring a Botticelli drawing borrowed from Berlin's Kupferstichkabinett. Curators have designed a map highlighting 21 locations in Verona associated with Dante. The exhibition unfolds in two primary narratives: Dante's early 14th-century experiences in Verona and the 19th-century reimagining of his legend. It comprises six sections that delve into Dante's knowledge of Giotto, his meeting with Cangrande della Scala, illuminated manuscripts, 19th-century reinterpretations, and links to Shakespeare, proposing that Dante influenced the tale of Romeo and Juliet. The exhibition invites visitors to explore Dante's legacy throughout Verona's streets.
Key facts
- Exhibition titled 'Tra Dante e Shakespeare. Il mito di Verona' in Verona
- Features 100 works including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, textiles, manuscripts, incunabula, printed books, and digital formats
- Botticelli drawing of Dante and Beatrice from Paradiso, Canto II, is the lead image, on loan from Kupferstichkabinett Berlin
- A map created for the occasion highlights 21 Veronese locations linked to Dante
- Exhibition structured in two paths: early 14th-century context and 19th-century myth reinterpretation
- Six sections cover Dante and Giotto, Dante and Cangrande, the Commedia's fortune, 19th-century myth, celestial journey, and Shakespeare connection
- First section notes no documented contact between Dante and Giotto, despite Dante's praise of Giotto in Purgatorio XI
- Final section links Dante's verses about Montecchi and Cappelletti to Luigi da Porto's 1531 story of Romeo and Juliet, which inspired Shakespeare
- Gaetano Previati's 'Paolo e Francesca' (1887) from Accademia Carrara, Bergamo is featured
- Francesco Hayez's 'Meditazione' is also included
Entities
Artists
- Sandro Botticelli
- Dante Alighieri
- Giotto
- Leopoldo Toniolo
- Carlo Canella
- Pietro Nanin
- Francesco Hayez
- Gaetano Previati
- William Shakespeare
- Luigi da Porto
- Matteo Bandello
- Maestro del Redentore
- Cangrande della Scala
Institutions
- Kupferstichkabinett Berlin
- Biblioteca Civica Verona
- Biblioteca Capitolare di Verona
- Accademia Carrara Bergamo
- Museo d’arte medievale e moderna Padova
- Ministero della Cultura
Locations
- Verona
- Italy
- Veneto
- Padua
- Cappella degli Scrovegni
- Padova
- Berlin
- Germany
- Bergamo