Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence: An Introduction to the Della Robbia Exhibition

Alison Luchs, curator of early European sculpture and deputy head of sculpture and decorative arts, National Gallery of Art. A new art form emerged in fifteenth-century Florence through the genius of Luca della Robbia, exalting the humble material of clay with brilliant modeling and surfaces shining with color that seems to defy time. The first comprehensive exhibition of Della Robbia work in the United States, originating at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston and taking new form at the National Gallery of Art, shows how three generations of Luca's family of skilled artists and entrepreneurs, responding to international demand, created magnificent sculpture in glazed terracotta. To celebrate opening day on February 5, 2017, Alison Luchs explores the human sensitivity, spirit-lifting color, and technical ingenuity that secure the appeal of Della Robbia sculpture into the twenty-first century. Della Robbia: Sculpting with Color in Renaissance Florence is on view through June 4, 2017.