The Seduction of Color

A unique exhibition to rediscover the genius of Andrea Solario, master of the Lombard Renaissance, on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death. The Poldi Pezzoli Museum will host exceptional works from prestigious international collections, with the extraordinary collaboration of the Musée du Louvre.

An unprecedented exhibition project dedicated to the painter Andrea Solario (1465-1524), one of the most original interpreters of the Lombard Renaissance, comes to life at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum.
The exhibition, the result of a scientific collaboration with the Musée du Louvre, brings together for the first time a selection of about 36 works from prestigious collections in Italy, France and England. An unmissable opportunity to admire masterpieces that reveal the technical mastery and stylistic evolution of an artist influenced by great masters such as Giovanni Bellini, Antonello da Messina and Leonardo da Vinci.

Curated by Lavinia Galli and Antonio Mazzotta

A Dialogue between Art, Science and History
The Seduction of Color is more than just an exhibition: it is a scientific project that aims to rediscover Andrea Solario through advanced diagnostic analysis and careful restoration. The eight paintings housed at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, along with works on loan from the Louvre and other collections, provide the thread for exploring the master’s evolution from his youth to his mature years.

Although some of Solario’s works are preserved in Italy among public and private collections, most of them are now abroad. More than 10 works that Andrea executed for French patrons are preserved at the Musée du Louvre, and in London.
On the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum and the Louvre Museum have signed a scientific partnership, and the Louvre has exceptionally loaned as many as six of his works that have never left French territory, further significant loans have been granted by the British Museum and the National Gallery in London.

Art and science in the service of knowledge 
Thanks to an in-depth diagnostic campaign conducted with the mobile equipment of the CNR in Florence, Perugia, Catania and Milan, the paintings were subjected to X-rays, reflectographs and infrared analysis, which revealed previously unseen details about the execution techniques and materials used by the master.
These studies, compared with those conducted in France by the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France, offer new interpretations of Leonardo’s use of chiaroscuro and the glazed chromes typical of the artist.
In parallel, six works have been restored: five in Milan, including the “Portrait of a Gentlewoman” at the Castello Sforzesco, and one at the Louvre, where the “Madonna of the Green Pillow” has recovered its original luminosity.

Curators

The exhibition will be curated by Lavinia Galli (curator, Poldi Pezzoli Museum) and Antonio Mazzotta (professor of modern art history, University of Milan).

International Scientific Committee 

The scientific committee consists of Vincent Delieuvin (conservator Italian Renaissance paintings, Musée du Louvre), Francesco Frangi (full professor, University of Pavia), Lavinia Galli, Antonio Mazzotta, Lorenzo Principi (Naples, university), Susanna Zanuso (independent scholar).

Exhibition design and graphics on display

Migliore+Servetto

Bob Wilson and Lady Gaga
Andrea Solario at Poldi Pezzoli Museum

A giant of contemporary art meets the Renaissance: Bob Wilson brings his hypnotic interpretation of Lady Gaga to the exhibition. An evocative dialogue between past and present alongside a masterpiece of extraordinary beauty: Andrea Solario’s The Head of John the Baptist.

A must-see encounter within the major exhibition dedicated to Andrea Solario.