The Italian Renaissance saw the growth of a culture of celebrity and influence, in some ways very similar to trends in western society today. The High Renaissance of Rome in the late 15th and early 16th centuries with the influence of the powerful Papal patrons Julius 11 and Leo X exemplifies this. Artists such as Raphael and Titian, in Venice, were part of this. Whose status was most enhanced when people looked in awe as they entered the Sistine Chapel? The artist or the patron?
This lecture looks at what was going on, and some of the prominent patrons such as the Papal Librarian, Tomasso Inghirami, who was also the greatest actor of his day. Erasmus wrote of him “ a great part of happiness is being a celebrity in Rome”. Pietro Aretino, the writer, blackmailer and pornographer, and Agostino Chigi, patron and the wealthiest patron, were prominent in the circle of celebrities. Some women were significant among these too. A celebrity ‘elephant in the room’ appears too!
John Bernasconi is the Director of the University of Hull Art Gallery, which gained Museum status under his leadership. After studying History at Bristol, he trained as an Art Historian at the Courtauld Institute, London University. His specialism while teaching at Hull University has been Italian Renaissance Art, and he has published in English and Italian on Venetian art. Now retired from teaching he concentrates on writing about the University Collection of the early 20th century Art. Hull University awarded him an honorary doctorate for his contribution to culture in Hull
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