The Davis Museum at Wellesley College has recently been awarded three separate grants in support of its upcoming exhibition, The Medici's Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence, the first monographic exhibition in the U.S. of the artist’s work. The exhibition will include approximately 68 paintings and drawings by Dolci (1616-87), an artist remembered for both his devotional works and his portraiture, as well as an accompanying catalogue, and educational programming. The grants were received from the National Endowment for the Arts, the Samuel H. Kress Foundation, and the Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc.

 “Widely renowned and collected for his beautiful technique and luminous color palette, Dolci is known as the most important artist in 17th-century Florence. In its scope and brilliance, The Medici’s Painter promises to be a spectacular exhibition,” said Dr. Lisa Fischman, Ruth Gordon Shapiro ’37 Director of the Davis Museum at Wellesley College. “These grants not only support the project, they also acknowledge the ambitions of the Davis as an academic museum to make a difference in the field. This is a major win for the Davis, as well as for lovers of Italian art, with the planning of a symposium and new scholarship presented in the exhibition catalogue.”

The Medici’s Painter: Carlo Dolci and 17th-Century Florence will be the first monographic exhibition in the U.S. of the artist’s work. This unprecedented initiative will consider Dolci’s art in depth as well as consider art as a critical diplomatic, political, and cultural tool from the early modern period to the present. Extensive public programming is planned, including a scholars' day with catalogue contributors and national and international scholars, along with an interdisciplinary symposium. After the debut at the Davis Museum, the exhibition will travel to the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University.

An exhibition catalogue, co-published by the Davis Museum at Wellesley College and Yale University Press, will accompany the exhibition. The catalogue will be edited by Julia Henshaw with contributions by early modern scholars Francesca Baldassari, Edward Goldberg, Scott Nethersole, Lisa Goldenberg Stoppato, David Stone, and Eve Straussman-Pflanzer.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent federal agency that funds, promotes, and strengthens the creative capacity of our communities by providing all Americans with diverse opportunities for arts participation.

ABOUT THE SAMUEL H. KRESS FOUNDATION

The Samuel H. Kress Foundation devotes its resources to advancing the history, conservation, and enjoyment of the vast heritage of European art, architecture, and archaeology from antiquity to the early 19th century.

ABOUT THE ROBERT LEHMAN FOUNDATION, INC.

The Robert Lehman Foundation provides support to museums, arts organizations, educational institutions and other cultural organizations with the goal of enhancing the role of the visual arts within American and world culture.