What's New with Piero di Cosimo?

Gretchen Hirschauer, associate curator of Italian and Spanish paintings, National Gallery of Art; and Elizabeth Walmsley, paintings conservator, National Gallery of Art. Piero di Cosimo: The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence, the first major retrospective of paintings by the imaginative Italian Renaissance master Piero di Cosimo (1462-1522), is on view at the National Gallery of Art from February 1 through May 3, 2015. The exhibition features 44 of the artist's most compelling paintings—three quarters of his extant work. Several important paintings recently underwent conservation treatment, among them the Gallery's Visitation altarpiece (c. 1489/1490). In this lecture, delivered on February 9, 2015 as part of the Works in Progress series, exhibition curator Gretchen Hirschauer and conservator Elizabeth Walmsley present their fascinating discoveries on Piero's known works. Hirschauer also discusses her continuing research on the chronology of his paintings and on the frames associated with these works. Walmsley highlights the range of technical examinations that help characterize Piero's heterogeneous style.