Discover the secrets of the Renaissance – Italian drawings at the Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen

On November 23rd,  Depot Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen will showcase Secrets of Italian drawings. This interactive exhibition features a wealth of drawings from the Italian Renaissance. Almost half of these drawings will be on display for the very first time in Boijmans history. Imagine seeing works in chalk or ink up close, by Fra Bartolommeo, Palma Giovane, Tintoretto and many more Italian masters. What’s even more special: the visitor can get in on the action themselves. Investigate and become a true connoisseur!

The Renaissance drawings are a prominent part of the collection of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen. Now they’re being showcased to the public again after a period of research. In the spirit of a true workspace – which the Depot is par excellence – you can view the various drawings in great detail. How to know if an artist is left-handed or right-handed? Or discover when something’s a forgery? These and many more mysteries are unravelled in Secrets of Italian drawings, which opens from November 23rd 2024 to March 23rd 2025.

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A diverse Italy

This exhibition shows that during the time of the Renaissance, the Italy we know today didn’t yet exist. Inside that big boot was a patchwork of different regions, each with its own administration and identity. This is evident in the drawings on display in the Depot. So how do you distinguish between the cities and regions? What different working methods did artists use? How do you recognise that Tintoretto more or less stands synonymous with Venice, and that Fra Bartolommeo is forever ingrained with Florence?

The Renaissance – which took place roughly between 1400 to 1600 AD – was a period in which mankind turned to look again at classical antiquity. Its influence on art was simply earth-shattering: the Renaissance turned the development of art completely upside down. It’s a historical period that continues to fascinate. Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen owns a rich collection of drawings from this period, derived from all the prominent Italian regions of that time.

Fondation Custodia

Parallel to Secrets of Italian Drawings is an exhibition held at the Fondation Custodia in Paris till January 12th 2025. This exhibition also features a large number of Italian drawings from the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen collection. Furthermore, a unique catalogue has been published that delves deeper into the details of Italian drawings. This catalogue is exclusively for sale at the Depot shop.

Secrets of Italian Drawings will open from November 23rd, 2024 until March 23rd, 2025 at the Depot of Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, Museumpark 24, Rotterdam.