Raphael's Fornarina on View in the United States for the First Time: Three-City Tour Begins at New York's Frick Collection

This winter The Frick Collection will display La Fornarina by Raphael (1483–1520), a sumptuous and enigmatic work that will be on view in the United States for the first time ever. Generously lent by the National Gallery of Art at the Palazzo Barberini, Rome, the painting stands out among the artist’s works for its virtuoso depiction of a nude sitter and the diaphanous material she holds. Its exhibition at the Frick (December 2, 2004, through January 30, 2005) marks the beginning of a three-city tour that continues on to the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Indianapolis Museum of Art. Presentation of La Fornarina in New York is organized in collaboration with the Foundation for Italian Art and Culture and is made possible, in part, through the generosity of Hester Diamond, Jon and Barbara Landau, and the Fellows of The Frick Collection. Accompanying this special loan are a lecture and an illustrated publication with an essay by Dr. Claudio Strinati, Superintendent of the National Museums of Rome.