Past Exhibition

Going through Hell: The Divine Dante

Details

  • Dates

    -
  • Locations

    West Building, Main Floor, Gallery 10–11

Florentine poet, writer and philosopher Dante Alighieri’s (1265-1321) Divine Comedy called Commedia in Italian, was written in the Florentine vernacular that formed the basis for the modern Italian language. It describes Dante’s journey through Hell (Inferno), Purgatory (Purgatorio) and Paradise (Paradiso), guided first by the ancient Roman poet Virgil, and then his beloved Beatrice. In the more than 700 years since it was written, the Divine Comedy has remained one of the most influential works of Western literature.

Going through Hell: The Divine Dante explores the influence of this seminal manuscript in some 20 works all from the National Gallery’s collection. Beginning with the 16th century painted Allegorical Portrait of Dante these range from rare early printed editions of the Divine Comedy to sculptures by Auguste Rodin created initially for his monumental project The Gates of Hell, to works on paper from the 15th to 20th century, from William Blake to Robert Rauschenberg.

Explore Selected Works

Dive Deeper

Going through Hell? See Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” in Art

Travel with artists through Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell.

A Poem of Exile on Dante Day

A look at the writer, poet, and father of the modern Italian language.

Through the Gates of Hell: Dante and Auguste Rodin

Hybrid Event: Registration Required

Join senior lecturer David Gariff for a talk exploring the impact of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy on the art and thought of French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Dante: A Poem and Its Afterlife

In-Person Event

Join us in our Going through Hell: The Divine Dante exhibition for a conversation with Professor Deborah Parker.

Events

Going through Hell? See Dante’s “The Divine Comedy” in Art

Travel with artists through Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell.

A Poem of Exile on Dante Day

A look at the writer, poet, and father of the modern Italian language.

Through the Gates of Hell: Dante and Auguste Rodin

Hybrid Event: Registration Required

Join senior lecturer David Gariff for a talk exploring the impact of Dante Alighieri’s The Divine Comedy on the art and thought of French sculptor Auguste Rodin.

Dante: A Poem and Its Afterlife

In-Person Event

Join us in our Going through Hell: The Divine Dante exhibition for a conversation with Professor Deborah Parker.