Sandro Botticelli, Venus, 1490 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: Jörg P. Ande

BERLIN.- The Florentine painter Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510) is considered to be one of the most prominent artists of the Renaissance. His paintings were reproduced and interpreted repeatedly, his motifs frequently captured and distorted. As independent, new works, they deviate from the originals in their own separate ways. They can differ so greatly from Botticelli’s pictures that the name of the painter can now represent fashion and lifestyle without his paintings ever being discussed, for example. Products are named after him, productions from popular culture follow his models and some of his figures – predominantly “Venus” – have become part of a universal visual memory. 

Sandro Botticelli, Venus, 1490 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Foto: Jörg P. Ande.

The fame Botticelli enjoys today is not self-evident. Initially forgotten after his death, he was only rediscovered in the 19th century. The English artistic movement of the pre-Raphaelites and their veneration of Botticelli was a crucial factor behind the beginning of this fascinating Renaissance, which has captured the imaginations of an increasing number of artists and a constantly growing audience to this day. 

Sandro Botticelli, Portrait einer Dame (Smeralda Bandinelli), 1470-75. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

Botticelli’s work has been interpreted in very different ways ever since. From a modern perspective, it gives rise to a variety of questions: How did the painter gain universal fame? How did he become a pop icon? Why are his works considered timeless and so “European” that they even appear on Euro coins? It is safe to say that Botticelli inspires the art of modernity and the present age like virtually no other old master. The exhibition traces this eventful history of changing appropriations and re-evaluations into the present day. For the first time, the work of Sandro Botticelli – with more than 50 works – has been gathered into one exhibition alongside his appropriations and interpretations. In total, there are over 150 exhibits on display, including numerous masterpieces from the greatest collections in the world. Drawings, sculptures, photographs, videos and objects from fashion and design will be presented alongside the paintings. 

Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Der Tagtraum, 1880. © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 

The approach to Botticelli is thereby taken via contemporary interpretations and covers the key works of his rediscovery in the 19th century. From David LaChapelle, Bill Viola, Cindy Sherman, Andy Warhol, René Magritte, Francis Picabia and Elsa Schiaparelli to Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones and Gustave Moreau. Visitors experience a journey back through time to the works of Renaissance masters. Surprising perspectives and retrospectives along the way enable meaningful connections to be made time and time again. In the process, visitors are guided by “talking” exhibition architecture, which makes the correlation in content tangible. In this way, Botticelli’s oeuvre is understood as a body whose core remains reserved for the two single works signed by the artist. The other works in the presentation have not been deliberately subjected to any kind of hierarchy. 

Tomoko Nagao, Botticelli - The Birth of Venus with Baci, Esselunga, Barilla, PSP and EasyJet © 2012 Tomoko Nagao.

The appearance of the exhibition was substantially designed in a cooperation between the Gemäldegalerie and the Victoria and Albert Museum. Berlin has been in possession of an impressive amount of the Botticelli’s works since the early years of the master’s rediscovery at the start of the 19th century. The Gemäldegalerie of the former Königliche (royal), now Staatliche (state) Museen zu Berlin, which was opened in the 1830s, had the formerly largest portfolio of Botticelli paintings beyond the master’s old domain – Florence. As a result, the Gemäldegalerie decided to realise the “Botticelli Renaissance” of the following century, having the exhibition project primarily in the Gemäldegalerie – a crucial precondition for Michael Eissenhauer, general director of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin: “The exhibition at the Kulturforum will kindle a new appreciation of Botticelli’s paintings, which have frequently served as a source of inspiration for artists. The outstanding Botticelli collection of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin forms a springboard for an impressive bridge to the art of the present day.”  

OZ RACING S.P.A: Botticelli III (Felge), 2010 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin / Achim Kleuker.

The Botticelli originals of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin complement the Victoria and Albert Museum’s first-rate portfolios of works by preRaphaelite painters and Victorian crafts superbly. Martin Roth, director of the Victoria and Albert Museum: “We are delighted to be working in partnership on this innovative re-examination of Botticelli’s work, which is only possible by sharing the resources, creativity and expertise of both partners. Next to the Gemäldegalerie’s finest collections of Renaissance paintings the V&A has equally renowned collections of art and design, providing the broader context and understanding of Botticelli as a design phenomenon in the present day. We look forward to hosting the second stage of our joint exhibition, opening in London on 5 March.”  

Following its presentation in Berlin, the exhibition will be on display in the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, from 5th March to 3rd July 2016, entitled “Botticelli Reimagined”. 

Sandro Botticelli: Bardi-Altar, 1484-85 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Jörg P. Anders. 

Sandro Botticelli: Mystische Geburt, 1500. © The National Gallery, London.

 Edward Burne-Jones, Die Mühle, 1870-1882 © Victoria and Albert Museum, London. 

David LaChapelle: Rebirth of Venus, 2009. Courtesy David LaChapelle Studio.

(Printversion) Ausführliche Bildunterschrift: Andy Warhol (American, 1928-1987): Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482), 1984. Acryl- und Siebdruckfarbe auf Leinwand, 121.9 x 182.9 cm. The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh; Founding Collection, Contribution The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. © 2015 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York 1998.1.307 Das Minimum an erforderlicher Bildunterschrift: Andy Warhol: Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482), 1984. Collection of The Andy Warhol Museum, Pittsburgh. © 2015 The Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts, Inc. / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York ACHTUNG: Es gelten folgende Einschränkungen: Das Bild… …darf nicht archiviert und für andere Zwecke als die aktuelle Berichterstattung zur Botticelli-Ausstellung in Berlin verwendet werden …darf nicht ohne vorherige Genehmigung aufs Cover, Kontakte: Hannah Rhadigan/ARS: hrhadigan@arsny.com, Greg Burchard/ The Andy Warhol Museum: BurchardG@Warhol.Org …darf nicht beschnitten werden …darf nicht bedruckt werden …darf nicht manipuliert werden (Farbänderungen, Text / Bild-Overlay ...) …muss mit vollständiger Creditline ergänzt werden …muss bei der Verwendung online und digital auf 72 dpi beschränkt sein, die längste Seite darf nur 475 Pixel haben ATTENTION: The following restrictions apply: The image… …must not be archived or used for purposes other than the current coverage on the Botticelli exhibition …must not be used on the cover without prior authorisation, contact: Artists Rights Society ARS: info@arsny.com, Greg Burchard/The Andy Warhol Museum: burchardg@warhol.org …must not be cropped …must not be printed …must not be enhanced (colour changes, text/image overlay...) …must be supplemented with the complete credit line …must be restricted to 72dpi for digital and online use, the longest side can only have 475 pixels. 

Sandro Botticelli, Giuliano de' Medici, 1478 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Jörg P. Anders. 

 Sandro Botticelli, Porträt eines jungen Mannes, um 1480–1485. Andrew W. Mellon Collection, National Gallery of Art, Washington D.C. © Courtesy National Gallery of Art, Washington.

Antonio Donghi: Donna al caffè (Frau im Café), 1931. © 2015 Archivio Fotografico - Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia.

William Bouguereau, Geburt der Venus, 1879. Öl auf Leinwand. Musée d'Orsay, Paris. Foto: © RMN-Grand Palais (Musée d'Orsay) / Hervé Lewandowski. 

Sandro Botticelli, Tondo Raczynski, 1477 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Jörg P. Anders. 

Sandro Botticelli, Der Hl. Sebastian, 1474. © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Jörg P. Anders. 

Edgar Degas, Venus (nach Botticelli), 1858-59 © Peter Schälchli, Zürich. 

Elsa Schiaparelli, Abendkleid, 1938. Seidenkrepp, Kunststoffpailletten und Seidenstickerei. Länge: 156 cm, Taillenweite: 66 cm. © Philadelphia Museum of Art: Schenkung von Mme Elsa Schiaparelli, 1969 / Mindestangaben in der Bildunterschrift: Abendkleid, Entwurf: Elsa Schiaparelli. © Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

Bill Viola: The Path, 2002. Panel 2 from Going Forth By Day, a five-part video/sound installation. High-Definition color video projection; four channels of spatial quadraphonic sound. Edition 1/2, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, New York Commissioned by Deutsche Bank AG in consultation with the Solomon R. Guggenheim Foundation for the Deutsche Guggenheim, Berlin 2005.116. Photo: Kira Perov ATTENTION: The following restrictions apply: - Please send a complimentary copy of the publication when published to Bill Viola Studio LLC: ebasile@billviola.com; bjablonski@billviola.com / - Caption and photo credit must be correctly listed as written. / - The image must be printed in the correct orientation. / - No overlaying of text on images. / - All photo materials are to be returned when completed to Bill Viola Studio LLC. / - Any cropping must be approved by Bill Viola Studio LLC. / - Requirement to see all layouts (i.e. PDF format) before it goes to print, for fact-checking purposes. 

View into the exhibition "The Botticelli Renaissance". 

View into the exhibition "The Botticelli Renaissance".