Titian, Prince of Painters

Titian, Prince of Painters: October 28, 1990 – January 27, 1991; West Building, Main Floor, Galleries 10, 11, 12, 17 through 28

This exhibition is no longer on view at the National Gallery.

Overview: 53 paintings by Titian were exhibited in celebration of the 500th anniversary of Titian's birth. Co-organizers were the Commune di Venezia, Assessorato alla Cultura, the Ministero per i Beni Culturali e Ambientali, the Soprintendenza per i Beni Artistici e Storici de Venezia, and the National Gallery of Art with Galileo Industrie Ottiche, S.p.A., Venice. This was the first comprehensive Titian exhibition since 1935 and the first ever in the United States. A public symposium coordinated by the Center for Advanced Studies in the Visual Arts (CASVA), Titian's Venice, was held on January 26. On crowded weekdays and weekends free exhibition passes were distributed as necessary on a first-come, first-served basis.

Organization: David A. Brown, curator of southern Renaissance painting at the National Gallery, was the exhibition curator. Gaillard Ravenel and Mark Leithauser designed the exhibition, and Gordon Anson designed the lighting.

Sponsor: Galileo Industrie Ottiche, S.p.A., supported the exhibition with additional support provided by Silvio Berlusconi Communications, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Assicurazioni Generali, and an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. Alitalia was the air carrier.

Attendance: 278,152

Catalog: Titian: Prince of Painters. Venice: Marsilio Editori, S.p.A., 1990.

Brochure: Titian: Prince of Painters. Venice: Marsilio Editori, S.p.A., 1990.

Other Venues: Palazzo Ducale, Venice, June 1–October 7, 1990

Image: Titian, Venus with a Mirror, c. 1555, oil on canvas, Andrew W. Mellon Collection, 1937.1.34