One-Work Masterpiece Raphael: The Woman with the Veil at Milwaukee Art Museum March 27 - June 6, 2010

MILWAUKEE, March 29 /PRNewswire/ -- One of the most celebrated paintings of the Italian Renaissance, Raphael: The Woman with the Veil, is on view at the Milwaukee Art Museum now through June 6, 2010. Rarely lent from the Pitti Palace in Florence, this irresistibly beautiful portrait – once considered the most famous painting in the world – is thought to have been completed around 1516, four years before Raphael died at age 37.

As the final stop – and the only venue in the Midwest or eastern part of the United States to feature this exceptional exhibition – the Milwaukee Art Museum offers the last opportunity for visitors to see this invaluable piece of art before it returns to Italy.

"We understand that The Woman with the Veil will not leave Florence again for many years because of its artistic and cultural significance," said Laurie Winters, Director of Exhibitions for the Milwaukee Art Museum. "We're thrilled to share this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see one of the greatest paintings of the Italian Renaissance right here in the Midwest."

Responding to Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, Raphael developed in this portrait his own idea of female beauty. The woman's veil indicates that she is married, adding a layer of mystique to long-held belief that she was Raphael's lover and muse. She appears as the subject of many of Raphael's most important works.

For additional information, please visit www.mam.org/raphael.

EXHIBITION SPONSORS/ORGANIZERS

This exhibition was made possible by the Foundation for Italian Art & Culture. The exhibition was organized by the Portland Art Museum and is supported by an indemnity from the Federal Council on the Arts and the Humanities. The exhibition is sponsored in Milwaukee by PNC and the Argosy Foundation.

ABOUT THE MUSEUM

The Milwaukee Art Museum's far-reaching holdings include more than 20,000 works spanning antiquity to the present day. With a history dating back to 1888, the Museum houses a collection with strengths in 19th- and 20th-century American and European art, contemporary art, American decorative arts, and folk and self-taught art. The Museum includes the Santiago Calatrava-designed Quadracci Pavilion, named by Time magazine as "Best Design of 2001." For more information, please visit www.mam.org.

SOURCE The Milwaukee Art Museum

WANT YOUR COMPANY'S NEWS FEATURED ON PRNEWSWIRE.COM?

440k+
Newsrooms &
Influencers

9k+
Digital Media
Outlets

270k+
Journalists
Opted In

GET STARTED