The Renaissance Nude

The Royal Academy’s recent exhibition, The Renaissance Nude, explores the developments that elevated the nude to play a pivotal role in art from 1400 to the 1530s. Juxtaposing works in a variety of media and from different regions of Europe, it considers how humanist culture, new artistic attitudes and spiritual beliefs have shaped its appearance, meaning and reception. This talk will give a thematic overview of the exhibition, illustrating how the nude inspired some of the most renowned artists of the western canon.

Lucy Chiswell is Assistant Curator at the Royal Academy of Arts. After living and working in Rome, Lucy completed her Masters at the Courtauld Institute of Art, specialising in the Italian Renaissance. In 2015, she contributed to the exhibition Renaissance Modern at the Courtauld Gallery. Past exhibitions at the Royal Academy include In the Age of Giorgione (2016), Abstract Expressionism (2016), Matisse in the Studio (2017) and most recently, Charles I: King and Collector (2018).

The Renaissance Nude, is at the Royal Academy from 3 March – 2 June 2019. For more information click here. 

The Three Graces
Raphael, c. 1517-18, Red chalk on paper, 20.3 x 25.8 cm
Royal Collection Trust/© Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2019