A seminar at the University of Malta promises to provide valuable insights into the evolution of Italian painting and the enduring legacy of Sienese artists.
The event, organised by Charlene Vella from the University of Malta’s Department of Art and Art History, coincides with two significant exhibitions on Italian ‘trecento’ (14th century) painting taking place this year.
The first, A New Look at Cimabue: At the Origins of Italian Painting, is currently on display at the Louvre in Paris until May 12. This marks the Louvre’s inaugural exhibition dedicated to Cimabue, a pivotal 13th-century artist renowned for introducing naturalism into Western painting.
The exhibition features approximately 40 works, including the recently restored Maestà and the newly acquired Christ Mocked, rediscovered in 2019.
The second exhibition, Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350, will open on March 8 at the National Gallery of Art in London and will run until June 22. This exhibition celebrates the golden era of Sienese art, showcasing masterpieces by artists such as Duccio, Simone Martini and the Lorenzetti brothers.
Notably, it reunites dispersed panels from Duccio’s monumental Maestà and Simone Martini’s Orsini Polyptych, offering a comprehensive view of early 14th-century Sienese painting.
The Malta seminar will feature distinguished scholars Donal Cooper (University of Cambridge) and Fabrizio Nevola (University of Exeter).
Cooper will contrast the National Gallery’s current exhibition on trecento art with its 2007 exhibition, Renaissance Siena: Art for a City, and will also discuss Cimabue, referencing the Louvre’s exhibition.
The Malta seminar will feature distinguished scholars Donal Cooper (University of Cambridge) and Fabrizio Nevola (University of Exeter)
Nevola will examine perceptions of Sienese art during the Late Middle Ages and the Renaissance, highlighting both the continuity and innovative qualities present across these periods.
‘Displaying Siena: The National Gallery exhibitions on the medieval and Renaissance city in 2007 and 2025’ is taking place at the Arts Lecture Theatre (ALT), University of Malta, Msida Campus, on February 20 at 5pm.
For more information, look up the event’s Facebook page.