Release Date: August 20, 2001
Washington, DC -- This fall the Gallery Shops will offer a large selection of books, reproductions, gifts, and accessories related to the exhibition Virtue and Beauty: Leonardo's "Ginevra de' Benci" and Renaissance Portraits of Women, on view in the West Building, 30 September 2001, through 6 January 2002. These items include silk scarves and jewelry inspired by Leonardo da Vinci's portrait of Ginevra de' Benci (c. 1474-1478), note cards featuring portraits by Sandro Botticelli and Domenico Ghirlandaio, various framed reproductions, posters, and desk accessories. The exhibition catalogue, as well as an assortment of scholarly titles supporting the exhibition, will also be available. The exhibition is made possible by generous support from Airbus.
Exhibition Catalogue and Related Books
The 240-page exhibition catalogue, published by the National Gallery of
Art, Washington, in association with Princeton University Press, will
be available for $55.00 (hardcover) and $35.00 (softcover). The catalogue
is edited and introduced by National Gallery curator of Italian Renaissance
paintings David Alan Brown, and contains essays by Renaissance experts
such as Dale Kent, Joanna Woods-Marsden, Mary Westerman Bulgarella, Roberta
Orsi Landini, and Victoria Kirkham. Following the essays are more than
172 color illustrations, including 96 full color plates, and 76 halftones.
Support for the catalogue was provided by the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
A selection of books related to the exhibition, including David Alan
Brown's critically acclaimed Leonardo da Vinci: Origins of a Genius, will
also be available.
Gifts and Accessories
Rogier van der Weyden's,Portrait of a Lady (c. 1460) will be featured
in both an assortment of note cards and desk accessories. The "Renaissance
Women" portfolio notecard set (3 cards of 4 different images) includes Portrait
of a Lady with Ginevra de' Benci (obverse) by Leonardo da
Vinci; Giovanna degli Albizzi Tornabuoni (c.1488/1490) by Domenico
Ghirlandaio; and Sandro Botticelli's Young Woman (Simonetta Vespucci?)
in Mythological Guise (c. 1480/1485).
Leonardo's Ginevra de' Benci, the centerpiece of the exhibition, is captured beautifully on both jewelry and scarf. An elegant silk twill scarf featuring the reverse side of this portrait -- a wreath of laurel and palm branches encircling a juniper sprig depicted against a background of simulated textured rock -- will be available in black. The jewelry also draws inspiration from this painting. Matching bangles and rings are engraved with the phrase Virtutem Forma Decorat, meaning "Beauty adorns Virtue" -- this Latin inscription can be found on a scroll entwined around the plants on the reverse of Ginevra de' Benci. Additional bangles and rings bearing the inscription Felices Ter Et Amplivs meaning "Thrice Happy and More," from Jacometto Veneziano's Portrait of a Man (c. 1480-1485) will also be available.
Ginevra's Story
Ginevra's Story, which examines the first known portrait by Leonardo
da Vinci, Ginevra de' Benci is an hour-long video documentary
produced by the Gallery and narrated by Meryl Streep. This video depicts
how x-ray analysis, infrared reflectography, and the power of computer
technology have delved beneath the surface of the painting to unveil fascinating
stories about both Ginevra and Leonardo.
How to Purchase
Items can be purchased in the Gallery Shops or limited items may be purchased
through mail order at (800) 697-9350 or (202) 842-6002, on the Gallery's Web
site.
General Information
The National Gallery of Art and its Sculpture Garden are at all times
free to the public. They are located on the National Mall between 3rd
and 9th Streets at Constitution Avenue NW, and are open Monday through
Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00
p.m. The Gallery is closed on December 25 and January 1. For information
call (202) 737-4215 or the Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD)
at (202) 842-6176, or visit the Gallery's Web site at www.nga.gov.
Visitors will be asked to present all carried items for inspection upon
entering the East and West Buildings. Checkrooms are free of charge and
located at each entrance. Luggage and other oversized bags must be presented
at the 4th Street entrances to the East or West Building to permit x-ray
screening and must be deposited in the checkrooms at those entrances.
For the safety of visitors and the works of art, nothing may be carried
into the Gallery on a visitor's back. Any bag or other items that cannot
be carried reasonably and safely in some other manner must be left in
the checkrooms. Items larger than 17 x 26 inches cannot be accepted by
the Gallery or its checkrooms.
For additional press information please call or send inquiries to:
Press Office
National Gallery of Art
2000B South Club Drive
Landover, MD 20785
phone: (202) 842-6353 e-mail: pressinfo@nga.gov
Deborah Ziska
Chief of Press and Public Information
(202) 842-6353
ds-ziska@nga.gov
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