The seduction of color: Andrea Solario at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum

The Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan kicks off the 2025 exhibition season with an exhibition that, from March 26 to June 30, 2025, celebrates one of the protagonists of the Lombard and Italian Renaissance: Andrea Solario (Milan, c. 1470 - 1524). The exhibition, entitled The Seduction of Color. Andrea Solario and the Renaissance between Italy and France, is the first monographic exhibition dedicated to this extraordinary painter, whose career developed in the heyday of the Sforza court, immediately after the arrival of Leonardo da Vinci in Milan. The exhibition, curated by Lavinia Galli and Antonio Mazzotta, traces the career of this protagonist of a vibrant and luminous art that marked an era.

Probably born in Milan around 1470, Andrea Solario came from a family of sculptors and architects originally from Carona, on Lake Lugano. His brother, Cristoforo Solari, was a prominent sculptor, and together they ran a workshop in the parish of San Babila. While sharing a passion for art, Andrea specialized in painting, and during the period when Leonardo da Vinci was working in Milan, he created a vast output of works that blended Nordic painting, Leonardo’s lessons, and the teachings of contemporary sculpture.

His ability to portray the beauty and naturalness of his subjects brought him great fame during his lifetime. In Giorgio Vasari’s Lives, written in 1550 and 1568, Solario is described as a “very vague painter and colorist” due to his use of dazzling and vibrant colors. His works, especially the portraits, enjoyed considerable fortune, so much so that many were replicated over the following centuries. Solario also became one of the favorite artists of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli, who purchased no less than five of his works, evidence of a significant critical fortune in the 19th century. The two largest nuclei of Solario’s paintings are preserved in two museums: one is, indeed, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum in Milan, and the other is in the Louvre. Solario’s most famous inventions, such as the Madonna of the Green Cushion, the Head of St. John the Baptist (both in the Louvre) or the Salome andEcce Homo were replicated numerous times by his contemporaries and beyond, even in later centuries.

The catalog, edited by Dario Cimorelli Editore, includes two essays by the curators and in-depth worksheets. The exhibition is supported by: Fondazione Cariplo, Natixis Corporate & Investment Banking, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Fondation Etrillard and Banca Popolare di Sondrio, with the contribution and patronage of the Lombardy Region, under the patronage of the Ministry of Culture, City of Milan, City of Lugano, Consulat Général de France à Milan and Institut Français Milan. Banco BPM is communication partner, Grandi Stazioni Retail is Media partner, technical sponsors are ERCO and Kerakoll. For info: https://museopoldipezzoli.it/.

An artist to be rediscovered

Probably his good fortune was paradoxically at the origin of his ... misfortune. In the nineteenth century he was one of the most sought-after artists, one of his works could be worth twice as much as a Botticelli (the Poldi Pezzoli’s Rest during the Flight into Egypt in a late nineteenth-century inventory of the museum was valued at 45 thousand liras, compared to 20 thousand liras for Botticelli’s Madonna and Child and 7 thousand liras for Pollaiolo’s Portrait of a Young Woman , at the time attributed to Piero della Francesca). Then probably the fact that Solario was often confused with Leonardo da Vinci (even!), or that the often mediocre copyists did not contribute to the perception of his quality, in the 20th century Andrea Solario’s art was almost forgotten.

“Despite the prodigious quality of his best production,” says Alessandra Quarto, director of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, “a monographic exhibition project dedicated to Andrea Solario had never been undertaken, with the exception of an exhibition organized at the Louvre in 1985-1986 and dedicated to French paintings. It is a challenge that the Museum has accepted and carried out thanks to public and private support. It was a courageous choice, especially at a time when we are increasingly witnessing the proliferation of exhibitions that aim more at showcasing already well-known figures in order to increase the number of visitors than at raising the cultural level through research exhibitions. Against this trend, the Poldi Pezzoli has initiated an extraordinary collaboration with all the lending institutions, and in particular with the Musée du Louvre, which preserves the world’s largest nucleus of the painter’s works (as many as 10), in order to make the general public rediscover the history and talent of one of the most original painters of the height of the Renaissance, much loved by scholars but unjustly forgotten by the general public.”

A dialogue between Italy and France

The exhibition at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum focuses on the dialogue between Solario’s Italian and French works, highlighting his artistic experiences in both nations. The collaboration with the Musée du Louvre in Paris is crucial to the exhibition’s success: thanks to an exceptional loan, the Milanese museum is hosting six works never before seen in Italy, including the famous Madonna of the Green Pillow, usually displayed in the Louvre’s Grande Galerie, which has been restored especially for the occasion.

Andrea Solario was, in fact, one of the first Italian artists to work in France, where he was sent by Charles d’Amboise, governor of the duchy of Milan after the French conquered the city. Between 1507 and 1510, Solario was in Gaillon, Normandy, where Cardinal Georges d’Amboise, uncle of the governor of Milan, called him to fresco the chapel of Gaillon Castle. The Milanese artist, therefore, is considered a pioneer of the Italian Renaissance in France, anticipating Leonardo da Vinci, who would arrive there only a few years later. This French period is amply represented in the exhibition, with works never exhibited in Italy, including some of his most famous masterpieces.

An itinerary in three sections

The exhibition is structured in three sections that follow Solario’s artistic journey through the different stages of his career. The first section, devoted to his Venetian training, explores the influence that Venice and the local masters, particularly Giovanni Bellini, had on his painting. It was in this city that Solario, following his brother Cristoforo, perfected the use of oil technique, studied landscape and assimilated the Venetian color palette that would become a hallmark of his works. Among the paintings displayed in this section is a small altarpiece where the artist signs himself “Andreas Mediolanensis,” recalling his Milanese origins.

The second section is devoted to his stay in France, where Solario, commissioned by Cardinal Georges d’Amboise, who called on him in 1507, produced some of his best-known masterpieces. Prominent among them, of course, is the Madonna of the Green Pillow, a work that, despite having been reproduced countless times over the centuries, retains an incomparable quality and unique refinement. The same room displays other paintings by Solario from the Louvre, which come to Italy for the first time thanks to the exhibition.

The third section focuses on Solario’s Milanese production, both before and after his stay in France, with works that reveal the painter’s stylistic evolution. Among the most notable pieces are the Portrait of a Woman preserved at the Castello Sforzesco in Milan and the Portrait of the Grand Chancellor Gerolamo Morone, in a private collection, which represent the pinnacle of his portrait art.

“We have brought together his most celebrated autograph paintings,” say the two curators, “to better highlight the qualitative heights that this master reaches, selecting only one work for each theme and bringing together the largest number of portraits as well as as as many as five drawings, since this master was also a very skilled draughtsman. A few selected and studied comparisons highlight mutual influences with his contemporaries such as his brother Cristoforo, a sculptor, Perugino, Boltraffio, Dürer, Luini and Cesare da Sesto.”

Restorations, dialogue with the contemporary, educational activities

On the occasion of the exhibition, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum launched a major campaign of restorations and diagnostic analyses to study Andrea Solario’s painting technique. One of the most important restorations, for example, was that of the Madonna of the Green Cushion. This research, conducted in collaboration with the CNR in Italy and the Louvre’s Restoration Laboratory, is a unique opportunity to deepen our knowledge of the artist’s methods of execution, from his earliest works to his maturity. The results of these analyses will be presented at an international study day, underscoring the importance of science applied to the conservation and study of works of art.

The exhibition is not limited to a historical and artistic analysis of the Renaissance, but also offers an interesting connection to contemporary art. Artist Robert Wilson chose to use Solario’s Head of St. John the Baptist to create a video installation depicting a metamorphosis, in which the saint’s face merges with that of pop star Lady Gaga. This dialogue between ancient and modern art further enriches the exhibition experience, confirming the relevance and vitality of Solario’s art.

In addition to the exhibition, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum has organized numerous educational activities, including free guided tours for schools and fragile audiences, thanks to the support of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. In addition, thematic workshops on enamel working are planned, in collaboration with the Scuola Orafa Ambrosiana, with support from the Fondazione Cologni dei Mestieri d’Arte. To promote accessibility, the museum will also remain open on Wednesdays until 7:30 p.m., with guided tours included in the entrance fee.

The route for the blind and visually impaired

On the occasion of the exhibition, the Poldi Pezzoli Museum’s commitment to accessibility and social inclusion continues, thanks to the valuable support of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti. The Oltre lo Sguardo initiative, launched last year, has become a permanent accessibility offering of the museum. It is an itinerary intended for visitors with visual disabilities, the result of targeted strategies based on methodologies tested and validated in numerous projects that have seen the active participation of various entities in the field of inclusion and cultural accessibility at the national level. Itineraries on the works Ecce Homo by Andrea Solario and Madonna and Child by Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, assets of the museum’s permanent collection, were also designed for the new exhibition. Tactile Vision Onlus created the two panels with relief ink, designed and adapted to the needs of tactile reading; fruition is enhanced by the possibility of accessing an audio description in Italian and English through embossed QR codes; the same support can be of help to the deaf public, because thanks to the same QR code it is possible to access a description of the work in Italian sign language.

This fruition support aims to communicate the artwork in a simple and inclusive language, addressing as wide an audience as possible, with special attention to people with sensory disabilities. The multisensory path created last year on the Dama del Pollaiolo, a symbolic work of the Museum, is proposed again for the works on display: it is possible to enjoy a series of elements that offer different sensory suggestions (tactile exploration of parts of the exhibition space, objects and precious fragments of textiles). The initiative is curated by Stefania Rossi, Head of Promotion and Inclusion Projects at the Museum, and Maddalena Camera, designer and cultural mediator at Aedo. The materials were designed and created together with Tactile Vision Onlus. Thanks to the synergy built with the entities involved so far and the participation of new institutions (Tactile Vision Onlus, Fondazione Arte Della Seta Lisio Firenze, Unione Italiana Ciechi di Milano e di Torino, V.A.M.I. Rome ODV) the Museum thus wants to project itself on a broader vision, with a view to acquiring over time new materials and new tools to extend the enjoyment of an increasing number of works in the collection to a public with sensory disabilities, thus increasing from time to time the supports dedicated to the public of the blind, visually impaired and deaf for visits to its collection.

The seduction of color: Andrea Solario at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum

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