09
July
2001
|
00:00
Europe/Amsterdam
Pirelli supports V & A Conservation of works by Italian Artists
In order to celebrate the official opening of its new international
financial headquarters in London, 15 Grosvenor Street, the Italian
group Pirelli SpA is to support the conservation of eight objects
from the V& A's world-famous collection of Italian terracotta
sculptures. A number of these sculptures will be on display as part
of the unprecedented exhibition Earth & Fire - Italian
Terracotta Sculpture from Donatello to Canova to be held at the
V& A in Spring 2002. Objects to be conserved and studied with
the support of Pirelli include -
The Forteguerri monument model by Andrea del Verrocchio.
Models for the Church of Santa Croce pulpit panels by Benedetto da Maiano.
The Forzori Altar, attributed to Donatello or his circle.
Since the 1980's, Pirelli has supported different art initiatives around the world and is now extending this to objects within the V& A's collection. The company has been instrumental in restoring the Etruscan rooms at the Louvre and the La Scala Theatre Museum in Milan. Pirelli recently funded the restoration of the prestigious Capitoline Gallery in Rome and also played a part in the conservation of the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, not to mention its partnership with the Masp Museum in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Italian terracotta pieces at the Victoria and Albert Museum form part of both the national collection of sculpture and of the most significant collection of Italian sculpture outside Italy. Among these are important pieces from the circle of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Donatello, and autograph works by Andrea del Verrocchio and Benedetto da Maiano.
Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488)
One of the most outstanding items is Verrocchio's small sketch-model for the monument of Cardinal Niccol Forteguerri, which was the winning entry for a competition commissioned by the city council of Pistoia, where the cardinal was born. Verrocchio died before the monument could be completed and so this remains the only record of his initial idea for the design. Research is already underway as part of the Pirelli programme to determine how the conservation of this delicate object should proceed.
Benedetto da Maiano (1442-1497)
The V& A possesses three of the four surviving terracotta models by Benedetto da Maiano for the celebrated marble pulpit in one of Italy's most spectacular churches, Santa Croce in Florence. These three-dimensional designs were copied when carving the scenes in marble for the pulpit which is considered to be Benedetto's masterpiece. Two of the V& A's terracotta models will be conserved with Pirelli's support. Fittingly, the Italian Cast Court at the Museum also houses a plaster cast of the pulpit (bought in 1884) enabling V& A visitors to compare the terracotta designs and the pulpit itself.
Donatello (1386-1466)
Pirelli will support additional scientific analysis of the Forzori Altar, attributed to Donatello or his circle, as part of a wider V& A conservation programme. Donatello was the most important and influential sculptor in fifteenth-century Italy and this piece shows similarities with works he produced during his stay in Padua between 1443 and 1447.
The forthcoming exhibition will present a complete range of objects in terracotta from reliefs by Donatello and Luca della Robbia to sculpture in the round by Andrea Riccio and Gianlorenzo Bernini. Earth & Fire will highlight the significance of terracotta in all its forms over four centuries of spectacular Italian sculpture from the Renaissance to the age of Neo-classicism.
Mark Jones, Director of V& A Museum, said: " It is particularly exciting to be involved with Pirelli in this way. Their generous support of this conservation programme will be extremely valuable and we are delighted to be working with them again." Pirelli first supported the V& A in the 1980's when they collaborated on the design and installation of the Pirelli Garden at the Museum.
The Chairman of Pirelli Spa, Marco Tronchetti Provera, said: " We have bases in many countries around the world and are active not just in the economic life of these places but in the cultural life too. Our commitment bears witness to the awareness of a company's civil and social responsibilities, reflecting a role which reaches beyond economic aims. The V& A is one of the most important museums in the world, providing an invaluable resource to students and lay people who, like us, have a love of the arts. With this project Pirelli can support the vital work of the conservators and be a part of a much larger educational project that is enjoyed by thousands of people every year" .
All of the objects to be conserved in the first year of this collaboration will be shown in the Italian Terracotta Sculpture exhibition at the V& A which will open in March 2002.
The collaboration will be celebrated with a launch party attended by the Director of the V& A and the Chairman of Pirelli SpA on the 9th July in the Pirelli Garden. For more information please contact Gareth Harris in the V & A Press Office - 0207 942 2501 / g.harris@vam.ac.uk
The Forteguerri monument model by Andrea del Verrocchio.
Models for the Church of Santa Croce pulpit panels by Benedetto da Maiano.
The Forzori Altar, attributed to Donatello or his circle.
Since the 1980's, Pirelli has supported different art initiatives around the world and is now extending this to objects within the V& A's collection. The company has been instrumental in restoring the Etruscan rooms at the Louvre and the La Scala Theatre Museum in Milan. Pirelli recently funded the restoration of the prestigious Capitoline Gallery in Rome and also played a part in the conservation of the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan, not to mention its partnership with the Masp Museum in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Italian terracotta pieces at the Victoria and Albert Museum form part of both the national collection of sculpture and of the most significant collection of Italian sculpture outside Italy. Among these are important pieces from the circle of Lorenzo Ghiberti and Donatello, and autograph works by Andrea del Verrocchio and Benedetto da Maiano.
Andrea del Verrocchio (1435-1488)
One of the most outstanding items is Verrocchio's small sketch-model for the monument of Cardinal Niccol Forteguerri, which was the winning entry for a competition commissioned by the city council of Pistoia, where the cardinal was born. Verrocchio died before the monument could be completed and so this remains the only record of his initial idea for the design. Research is already underway as part of the Pirelli programme to determine how the conservation of this delicate object should proceed.
Benedetto da Maiano (1442-1497)
The V& A possesses three of the four surviving terracotta models by Benedetto da Maiano for the celebrated marble pulpit in one of Italy's most spectacular churches, Santa Croce in Florence. These three-dimensional designs were copied when carving the scenes in marble for the pulpit which is considered to be Benedetto's masterpiece. Two of the V& A's terracotta models will be conserved with Pirelli's support. Fittingly, the Italian Cast Court at the Museum also houses a plaster cast of the pulpit (bought in 1884) enabling V& A visitors to compare the terracotta designs and the pulpit itself.
Donatello (1386-1466)
Pirelli will support additional scientific analysis of the Forzori Altar, attributed to Donatello or his circle, as part of a wider V& A conservation programme. Donatello was the most important and influential sculptor in fifteenth-century Italy and this piece shows similarities with works he produced during his stay in Padua between 1443 and 1447.
The forthcoming exhibition will present a complete range of objects in terracotta from reliefs by Donatello and Luca della Robbia to sculpture in the round by Andrea Riccio and Gianlorenzo Bernini. Earth & Fire will highlight the significance of terracotta in all its forms over four centuries of spectacular Italian sculpture from the Renaissance to the age of Neo-classicism.
Mark Jones, Director of V& A Museum, said: " It is particularly exciting to be involved with Pirelli in this way. Their generous support of this conservation programme will be extremely valuable and we are delighted to be working with them again." Pirelli first supported the V& A in the 1980's when they collaborated on the design and installation of the Pirelli Garden at the Museum.
The Chairman of Pirelli Spa, Marco Tronchetti Provera, said: " We have bases in many countries around the world and are active not just in the economic life of these places but in the cultural life too. Our commitment bears witness to the awareness of a company's civil and social responsibilities, reflecting a role which reaches beyond economic aims. The V& A is one of the most important museums in the world, providing an invaluable resource to students and lay people who, like us, have a love of the arts. With this project Pirelli can support the vital work of the conservators and be a part of a much larger educational project that is enjoyed by thousands of people every year" .
All of the objects to be conserved in the first year of this collaboration will be shown in the Italian Terracotta Sculpture exhibition at the V& A which will open in March 2002.
The collaboration will be celebrated with a launch party attended by the Director of the V& A and the Chairman of Pirelli SpA on the 9th July in the Pirelli Garden. For more information please contact Gareth Harris in the V & A Press Office - 0207 942 2501 / g.harris@vam.ac.uk