Arezzo celebrates the art of Margarito d'Arezzo, among the greatest interpreters of thirteenth-century painting

From May 25 to July 29, 2023, the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Arezzo presents the small but significant exhibition The Medieval Magisterium of Margarito d’Arezzo - The ’Madonna of the Vertighe’ and the Works of the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art of Arezzo, curated by Luisa Berretti and Rossella Cavigli.

It is a journey of discovery of thirteenth-century painting through the work of the master from Arezzo: part of the corpus of Margarito’s works will in fact be exhibited. The occasion of the structural works currently underway at the Sanctuary of the Vertighe, which involved the sheltering of the works exhibited in the church in the storage room of the adjoining convent, represents a unique opportunity to directly compare the Dossal with theVirgin and Child Enthroned and Stories of the Virgin with Saints and Saints, a masterpiece on a gold background by Margarito d ’Arezzo (ca. 1240 - 1290) and Restoro d’Arezzo (ante 1239 - post 1282), with Margarito’s works on display at the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art in Arezzo, such as the Madonna and Child Enthroned of Montelungo and the two St. Francis, one executed together with a collaborator and coming from the Church of the Convent of Sargiano, the other a work of the artist’s workshop from the Church of the Convent of Ganghereto in Terranuova Bracciolini.

The Vertighe dossal, a late work by Margarito d’Arezzo completed in collaboration with the monk Restoro d’Arezzo, author of the astronomical-themed work entitled The Composition of the World (1282), constitutes one of the cornerstones of 13th-century Italian painting. The painting, made between 1280 and 1285, was partially exhibited in Arezzo (only the central panel without the two side panels) in 2011, on the occasion of the exhibition Il Primato dei Toscani nelle Vite del Vasari, curated by Paola Refice. The difficulty of obtaining the loan of the work, since it is exposed to the public in the church of the Sanctuary of Santa Maria delle Vertighe, and an object of veneration by the faithful, is obviated by the fact that it was in storage at this time and therefore already not accessible to the community. The initiative thus offers the possibility for the public and scholars to admire the dossal from a more favorable and close position and, at the same time, to compare it with the artist’s other paintings on display in the museum.

The exhibition comes as part of the MUAR - Museums of Arezzo project, thanks to an agreement signed between the Regional Museums of Tuscany Directorate of the Ministry of Culture and the Arezzo Intour Foundation, a public-private D.M.O. established in 2018 to promote the tourist destination. On the occasion of the event, which marks an important milestone in the relaunch of the activities of the National Museum of Medieval and Modern Art in Arezzo, the Regional Directorate of Museums of Tuscany has established an entrance fee, equal to 6 euros for the full rate and 2 euros for the reduced rate. All the concessions and free admission provided for access to national museums remain valid.

The exhibition celebrating Margarito d’Arezzo will be flanked by scientific and popular initiatives, including a series of lectures (all starting at 4 p.m. and with free admission) that will kick off on Tuesday, June 13, with Fulvio Cervini ’s (University of Florence) talk on Medieval Versatility and Anachronism. Margarito according to Vasari. It will then continue on Wednesday, June 28, with Sonia Chiodo (University of Florence) with an in-depth discussion on Margarito d’Arezzo: fame, misunderstandings, rediscovery; on Wednesday, July 12, Pierluigi Licciardello (Alma Mater Studiorum Bologna) will discuss the theme Religious life and the cult of saints in Arezzo in the 13th century.

Guided tours to Margarito’s places in Arezzo will also be organized during the exhibition period and will be conducted by city tour guides. The guided tours will begin on Friday, May 26, and will take place every Friday at 10 a.m. and every Saturday at 10:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. Each tour will last about two hours and will include a visit to the works by Margarito that are the subject of the exhibition and to those preserved in the Pieve di Santa Maria and at the Diocesan Museum. The meeting place with the guide is Piazza Duomo. Reservations can be made exclusively at www.discoverarezzo.com

For information write to infopoint@discoverarezzo.com or call 0575 377468.

Hours: Tuesday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. First Sunday of the month and midweek holidays from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Image: Margarito d’Arezzo and Restoro d’Arezzo, Dossal with Virgin and Child Enthroned and Stories of the Virgin (1280-1285; tempera and gold on panel; Monte San Savino, Church of the Convent of Santa Maria delle Vertighe)

Arezzo celebrates the art of Margarito d'Arezzo, among the greatest interpreters of thirteenth-century painting

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