Foundation for Italian Art & Culture

Painting of a half-length woman wearing a round headdress, big blue sleeves, and holding a white fan
The Poetry of Parmigianino’s “Schiava Turca”
to

Born in Parma and known as Parmigianino after his native city, Francesco Mazzola (1503–1540) lived only thirty-seven years, yet his eloquent, innovative art inspired his contemporaries to name him “Raphael reborn” and praise him as one of the greatest painters of his age. During his short life, Parmigianino was especially esteemed for his portraits. Today his Schiava Turca, an exquisite depiction of a young woman, is an icon in the city of Parma and admired as an expression of ideal female beauty in the tradition of Leonardo’s Mona Lisa.

painting of a seated partially-nude woman wearing a turban and holding her exposed breasts
Special Loan: Raphael's Fornarina
to

From December 2004 through January 2005, in collaboration with the Foundation for Italian Art & Culture, The Frick Collection displayed La Fornarina by Raphael Sanzio (1483-1520) from the National Gallery of Art at the Palazzo Barberini in Rome. Painted around 1518 and signed by the artist, this celebrated work has never before been exhibited in the United States.

painting of standing woman dressed in a gold satin dress draped with marten fur

Special Loan: Parmigianino's Antea: A Beautiful Artifice
to

In this exhibition, Parmigianino’s Antea, a special loan from the Museo di Capodimonte in Naples, was exhibited in the United States for the first time in more than twenty years. Although it is widely recognized as a masterpiece of Italian Renaissance female portraiture, little is known about the painting: its date is not firmly established, it is unclear why or for whom the portrait was painted, and the sitter’s identity is a mystery.