De Giotto à Caravage

More intelligently thought out than many exhibitions, the curating of ‘De Giotto à Caravage’ offers an original interpretation of two giants of Italian art through the unique figure of critic and collector Roberto Longhi, who died in 1970. Long before the scientific technology was developed, Longhi expertly reattributed unsigned works to their real authors, particularly Caravaggio. Through his art historian’s passions, the Musée Jacquemart-André takes us on a thrilling exploration of Italian art in the process of enormous change. From the 14th to the 17th centuries, we move between the gracious works of Masaccio and Giotto and other less well-known artists like the Dutch painter Matthias Stomer and the Spanish artist José de Ribera and his petrifying ‘The Martyrdom of Saint Bartholomew’. It all makes up a fascinating trove of chiaroscuro, tormented biblical scenes and small discoveries, and is the opportunity to admire a handful of Caravaggios in person, including the breathtaking ‘Boy Bitten by a Lizard’ and ‘The Crowning with Thorns’.