Raphael: Sublime Poetry

Raphael: Sublime Poetry was the first comprehensive exhibition devoted to Raphael ever presented in the United States, bringing together more than 170 paintings, drawings, tapestries, and archival treasures from leading collections across Europe and America. Tracing the artist’s remarkable career from Urbino to Florence and Rome, the exhibition revealed Raphael’s extraordinary creative process and poetic vision through rarely seen preparatory drawings alongside celebrated masterpieces. It also explored his achievements as a painter, architect, designer, and humanist, highlighting his innovative portrayals of women and recent technical discoveries about his working methods. Together, these works offered an unprecedented look at one of the Renaissance’s most influential artistic geniuses.

The Louvre offered an incredibly rare loan of Raphael’s Portrait of Baldassarre Castiglione for this exhibition.