People are familiar with paintings by Raphael, but his oeuvre is much more: the Raphael exhibition at the National Gallery London also shows him as a sculptor, architect and poet. Highlights include rare archaeological drawings by Raphael as well as studies for valuable carpets and prints. The presentation will be on view from April 9 to July 31, 2022.
Raphael (1483-1520) made his mark on the art world like few others during his short career. His talent was recognized at a young age in the workshop of his father, a court painter in Urbino, Italy. In Florence, a Renaissance art center, his harmonious compositions and paintings of the Madonna quickly made him famous. Until the 19th century, Raphael was generally considered the best painter of all time. In 1514, he took over from Donato Bramante as director of construction for St. Peter's Basilica in Rome. The circumstances of Raphael's early death are unclear: conjectures range from a failed bloodletting to malaria, with which he may have contracted during archaeological investigations in the marshes around Rome, to the plague. His tomb is located in the Pantheon in Rome.
