THE IDEAL CITY (LA CITTA' IDEALE)

Renaissance utopia in Urbino in the years between Piero della Francesca and Raphael. April 6 - July 8 2012. Galleria Nazionale delle Marche, Ducal Palace, Urbino.

The Ideal City
Renaissance utopia in Urbino in the years between Piero della Francesca and Raphael
Curated by Lorenza Mochi Onori and Vittoria Garibaldi Urbino, Galleria Nazionale delle Marche
Palazzo Ducale, Urbino
April 6 - July 8, 2012

The painted panel of The Ideal City in the Galleria Nazionale delle Marche is one of the most fascinating enigmas of the Italian Renaissance. We do know neither why is was painted nor by whom, yet it is a compendium of art, science and philosophic speculation, one of the highest achievements of the civilization that flourished at Urbino in the second half of the fifteenth century, at the court of Duke Federico da Montefeltro, one of the most learned and enlightened lords of his time.

In the exhibition at the Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, curated by Lorenza Mochi Onori and Vittoria Garibaldi, the Urbino panel is finally open to public view along with another "ideal city", similar in style, from the Walters Art Gallery in Baltimore (unfortunately, a third in Berlin cannot be moved due to its poor state of conservation). A unique opportunity to broaden our knowledge of such singular and mysterious works, to explore the meaning behind the idea of a city as it is reflected in the architecture of the paintings, and to understand the meaning of the utopias depicted in them.

Alongside this panel, many other works are on display, about 50 in all, including paintings, sculptures, wood inlays, drawings, medals, illuminated manuscripts and architectural treatises, which give us a global picture of one of the high points in the history of this small capital city, set in the mountains and hills of Montefeltro, in the midst of the lands of Tuscany, Umbria, Marche and Romagna.
There are works by Jacopo de Barbari, Piero della Francesca, Luca Signorelli, Fra’ Carnevale, Domenico Veneziano, Sassetta, Mantegna, Perugino, Bramante and finally Raphael, who, having learnt his art in the cultural climate of Urbino, was to become one of the great architects of 1500s. Two works by Raphael feature in the exhibition: a drawing and the predella of the Oddi Altarpiece exceptionally loaned for the occasion by the Vatican Museums.

The venue, and at the same time a constituent element of the exhibition, is the splendid Palazzo Ducale in Urbino, built with the contribution of architects who invented the very language of the Renaissance: Leon Battista Alberti, Luciano Laurana and Francesco di Giorgio Martini, all three of whom have been attributed the painting of the Urbino panel.

Information and reservations tel. 199.75.75.18
Guided tour and educational tel. 199.151.123

Open
From Tuesday to Sunday: 8:30 to 19:15 (ticket office closes at 18.00)
Monday: 8.30 - 14.00 (ticket office closes at 12.30)

Tickets
Full price € 9,00
Reduced € 7,00 - groups of more than 15, the over 65s, Marche Museum Card holders, university students with ID, concessions
Special Reduction € 3.00 for schools and children under 18 years
Integrated (Exhibition + Galleria Nazionale delle Marche): € 10.00
Free children under six, the disabled who needs an assistant, two teachers per class, journalists with ID, employees of the Ministry of Heritage and Culture with guide. more infos about reservation and guided tours in www.mostracittaideale.it (in english)