An early master of perspective and light

Contemporaries knew him as Fra Giovanni da Fiesole (c. 1395-1455), but later he became known as Fra Angelico (the angelic brother) and Beato Angelico (the angelic blessed one): the painter was a leading voice of the early Italian Renaissance. Even during his lifetime, his paintings fascinated viewers with their skillful depictions of light and perspective, piety, and the realistic emotions of the figures. People had never seen anything like it before. Some compositional inventions, such as the Lamentation of Christ before the Tomb (c. 1440) and rectangular altar panels, became standard features. With the major exhibition Fra Angelico, the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, in collaboration with the Museo di San Marco, pays tribute to a central figure of the 15th century. The exhibition runs from September 26, 2025, to January 25, 2026, and examines the origins, development, and influence of Fra Angelico's work in dialogue with painters such as Lorenzo Monaco, Masaccio, and Filippo Lippi, as well as sculptors such as Lorenzo Ghiberti, Michelozzo, and Luca della Robbia.

Fra Angelico, the patron saint of Christian artists, was born in Fiesole near Florence and died in Rome. He lived in several convents, including the Convent of San Marco, now the Museo di San Marco, where many of his works are housed. These works clearly demonstrate his innovative approach, in which the painter's personal interpretation helps shape the image. This method was unheard of in his day; painters were considered craftsmen, and the concept of the creative artist as we understand it today did not yet exist. Fra Angelico thus exerted a great influence on Michelangelo, El Greco, and Rembrandt, for example. Fra Angelico's tomb is located in the Roman church of Santa Maria sopra Minerva.