Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance

The Donatello exhibition in Florence last spring was one of the major events of the 2022 art calendar. Since then, there has been a second embodiment in Berlin, and finally a third version will arrive at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London: it's sure to be the hit of 2023. Although several of the large-scale pieces from Italian churches will not be able to travel, there is much in this particular version of the widely-acclaimed exploration of the great sculptor's career which has not made it to either of the other locations, so it will be worth seeing in its own right. 

As before, the display will focus on Donatello's major innovations. The curators are keen to stress that his influence on the development of the Italian Renaissance was probably greater than that of any other single artist. I couldn't agree more, and in this talk I will explain why. I will also attempt to look at as many of the exhibits as is possible (given the scope of the talk) while trying, as ever, not to overrun...