Exhibitions

Fernando Gallego and His Workshop: The Altarpiece from Ciudad Rodrigo
September 4, 2008 - ongoing


Maestro Bartolomé The Creation of Eve, after 1493 oil on panel Gift of the Samuel H. Kress Foundation 1961.013.031 Photograph by Robert LaPrelle	Maestro Bartolomé infrared reflectogram mosaic of The Creation of Eve, after 1493 © Kimbell Conservation Department

Following two years of groundbreaking research and technical analysis, UAMA's magnificent altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo has returned to Tucson.

The Meadows Museum at Southern Methodist University in Dallas instigated the most extensive study of the altarpiece undertaken to date, and since the fall of 2006, this exquisite group of Spanish medieval panel paintings has undergone ultraviolet light and x-ray examination as well as infrared reflectography at the Kimbell Art Museum's Conservation Studio in Fort Worth. The resulting scientific and art historical research has unlocked 500-year-old secrets about the altarpiece's creation and realization, all explored in a uniquely comprehensive exhibition, Fernando Gallego and His Workshop: The Altarpiece from Ciudad Rodrigo, which will be on view at UAMA from September 4, 2008 through March 22, 2009.

The 26 panels from the altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo comprise one of the most important groups of paintings produced in late 15th-century Spain by the artists Fernando Gallego and Master Bartolomé (the latter virtually unknown, until now) and their workshops. Such "master painters" often commanded large, dynamic workshops with many apprentice artists and frequently joined together on monumental commissions like this cathedral altarpiece.

Technical analysis of the paintings (under the direction of the Kimbell Art Museum's chief conservator, Claire Barry) revealed the artists' preparatory drawings, hidden beneath layers of paint. Based on this new access, scholars identified the distinctive "hands" of the two main artists, and found that often under-drawings did not match finished paintings. In addition, the research provided deeper knowledge of how these esteemed masters and their workshops functioned. Through a combination of art historical study and technical analysis, this exhibition offers a multifaceted view of the panel paintings -- allowing for a new understanding of the relationship between the artists and workshops involved in their creation, of the style and techniques of the individual artists themselves, and of the practice of late Gothic painting in Spain.

Special features:

Compare the retablo images to the underdrawings online before your visit to see the full-size panels and infrared reflectograms at UAMA. requires Flash Player for viewing

Experience the Fernando Gallego and His Workshop exhibition installation at the Meadows Museum
requires Flash Player for viewing

View the Arizona Illustrated studio interview with UAMA Executive Directer Charles Guerin

Hear from the scholars who researched the retablo in Retablo: Uncovering a 500 Year Secret from Arizona Public Media

Watch Dr. Barbara Anderson's lecture In the Shadow of a Famous Master: Maestro Bartolomé's Innovations in the Altarpiece of Ciudad Rodrigo (requires iTunes software for viewing)

See Claire Barry's presentation New Discoveries: The Making of the Ciudad Rodrigo Altarpiece (requires iTunes software for viewing)

Download the original invitation and lecture schedule for the Fall 2008 - Spring 2009 activities related to this exhibition. (Adobe Acrobat file, may take a moment to download)

Visit our Exhibition History page for information on past exhibitions at UAMA.