Seattle, Seattle Art Museum Fort Worth, Kimbell Art Museum October 17 2019 - January 26 2020 March 01 2020 - June 14 2020 Curated by Sylvain Bellenger with the collaboration of Chiyo Ishikawa, George Shackleford and Guillaume Kientz Embassy of Italy Washington The Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C. Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte Seattle Art Museum Director Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO Front cover Sylvain Bellenger Amada Cruz Parmigianino Lucretia Chief Curator Susan Brotman Deputy Director for Art and 1540, Oil on panel Linda Martino Curator of European Painting and Sculpture Naples, Museo e Real Bosco Chiyo Ishikawa di Capodimonte Exhibition Department Patrizia Piscitello Curatorial Intern Exhibition Catalogue Giovanna Bile Gloria de Liberali Authors Documentation Department Deputy Director for Art Administration Sylvain Bellenger Alessandra Rullo Zora Foy James P. Anno Christopher Bakke Head of Digitalization Exhibitions and Publications Manager Proofreading and copyediting Carmine Romano Tina Lee Mark Castro Graphic Design Restoration Department Director of Museum Services Studio Polpo Alessandra Golia and Chief Registrar Lauren Mellon Photos credits Legal Consulting Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte Studio Luigi Rispoli Associate Registrar for Exhibitions © Alberto Burri by SIAE 2019, Fig. 5 Megan Peterson © 2019 Andy Warhol Foundation American Friends of Capodimonte President for the Visual Arts by SIAE, Fig. 6 Nancy Vespoli Director of Design and Installation Photographers Nathan Peek and his team Luciano Romano Speranza Digital Studio, Napoli Exhibition Designer Paul Martinez Published by MondoMostre Printed in Italy by Tecnostampa Acting Director of Communications Finished printing on September 2019 Cindy McKinley and her team Copyright © 2019 MondoMostre Chief Development Ofcer Chris Landman and his team All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or Kayla Skinner Deputy Director transmitted in any form or by any means, for Education and Public Engagement electronic or mechanical, including Regan Pro and her team photocopy, recording or any other information storage and retrival system, without prior permission In writing from the publiser Isbn 978-88-905853-7-1 Kimbell Art Museum MondoMostre Director President Eric M. Lee Tomaso Radaelli Deputy Director CEO George T.M. Shackelford Simone Todorow di San Giorgio Curator of European Art Institutional Relations Guillaume Kientz Maria Grazia Benini Deputy Director of Finance Head of Asia-Pacific and Administration David Gramazio Susan Drake Head of North America Head of Collections Management Anna Bursaux & Registration Patty Decoster Exhibition Manager Diana Boldrini Parravicini Head of Marketing and Public Relations Jessica Brandrup Legal Afairs Chiara Ferraro Accounting & Finance Monica Zdrilich American travelers who know Naples primarily as a jumping-off point to the great archeological sites of Pompeii and Herculaneum overlook the incredible riches of the city’s buildings, churches, and museums. Located in a verdant park overlooking the city, Mount Vesuvius, and the bay of Naples, the Capodimonte Museum is one of Italy’s largest museums and home to one of the fnest collections of Italian and Spanish painting in the world. Its heart is the splendid Farnese collection of painting and sculpture, formed in Parma and Rome in the sixteenth century and inherited by Charles VII of Naples and Sicily (who later became Charles III of Spain). Earthy Italian and Spanish masterpieces of the baroque period, grounded in realism and produced in Naples, built on this foundation. Characteristic of both periods is a focus on the human fgure, whether in portraits, mythological subjects, or religious scenes. Flesh & Blood features many profound expressions of the intersection of physical and spiritual existence, with unceasing emphasis on the human body as a vehicle to express love and devotion, physical labor, tragic suffering, and spiritual release. This exhibition gives our visitors the rare opportunity to see how brilliant and innovative artists such as Raphael, Titian, El Greco, Artemisia Gentileschi, and Jusepe de Ribera approached these timeless themes. The Seattle Art Museum and the Kimbell Art Museum have greatly enjoyed collaborating with the Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte on this extraordinary project. Our two institutions were enthusia- stic about the prospect of an exhibition from Naples, but it was only when the directors and curators traveled there, met with museum colleagues, and saw the extraordinary works of art in the galleries and in storage that we realized how powerful this exhibition could be. We would like to thank Sylvain Bellenger, Director of the Museum, for his collegiality in welcoming us to Naples and generosity in sharing these treasures with our visitors. We are also grateful to Patrizia Piscitello, Head of Exhibi- tions. Logistical details were managed by the expert team of MondoMostre, and we would like to especially thank David Gramazio and Diana Boldrini Parravicini for their tireless work to make this a stunning and successful exhibition and publication. The curatorial team of Chiyo Ishikawa from Seattle and George Shackelford and Guillaume Kientz from the Kimbell worked smoothly together, expertly identifying works that were masterpieces of their time and still relevant today. At the Seattle Art Museum, our gratitude goes to Kimerly Rorschach, former Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO, who initiated the project for SAM. Generous support for this ambitious project was provided by Presenting Sponsor ArtsFund. Special thanks to Lead Sponsor 4Culture, Major Spon- sor Robert Lehman Foundation, and Hotel Partner Four Seasons Hotel Seattle. At the Kimbell Art Museum, we would like to thank Kay and Ben Fortson, Kimbell Fortson Wynne, and the Board of Di- rectors of the Kimbell Art Foundation for their strong commitment to the project from the outset, fur- thering the mission to bring great works of art to Fort Worth. Both museums have much appreciation for their incredible staffs for presenting and interpreting this beautiful exhibition for our audiences. Amada Cruz Eric M. Lee Illsley Ball Nordstrom Director and CEO Director Seattle Art Museum Kimbell Art Museum Back in the 18th century, the “Grand Tour d’Italie” inspired and captured the imagination of many artists from across Europe. Poets, painters, musicians and artists would venture to the Italian pe- ninsula in search of their roots, connecting to the traces of an ancient past, that had a great bearing on their lives and on the forms of artistic expression they were so keenly exploring. Rightly so, for many the Grand Tour would end in Naples a city of unparalleled beauty, a kaleidoscope of diverse cultures and millenary history. In Naples, they would reach the zenith of splendidness. Nea Polis founded by the Greeks thrived and fourished throughout the centuries. This breathtaking city has been under different rulers, harbingers of new, rich and diverse cultures. The city and its people embraced the novelties while at the same time fascinating the newcomers. Until today, it continues to exhilarate, change vibrantly and stupefy. The exhibition “Flesh& Blood: Italian Masterpieces from the Capodimonte Museum” is truly im- pressive. Life, in its human and spiritual dimensions, is vividly captured in the works of artists such as Raphael, Titian, Luca Giordano, Artemisia Gentileschi, El Greco and Jusepe de Ribera. As the astounding art in display in the exhibition from the Farnese Collection and the Seventeenth Century Neapolitan school unfolds in this exquisite catalogue, the reader is overwhelmed. This spectacular exhibit is also a testament to the strong cooperation between some of the greatest cultural institutions and associations in Italy and the United States, like the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, the Seattle Art Museum, the Kimbell Art Museum and the American Friends of Capo- dimonte. They tirelessly endeavored to renew and strengthen the bonds of friendship and deep cultural ties between our countries and people by bringing a unique glimpse of Italy to Seattle and Fort Worth. A visit to the exhibition will be an enriching experience that will foster the knowledge of one of the most impressive collections of art in Italy, and mutual respect and admiration, which our coun- tries are proud to share. Armando Varricchio Ambassador of Italy Naples is one of the oldest cities in Europe. Founded in the sixth century BCE by the Greeks, this splendid city and its bay have been occupied by a succession of rulers spanning from the Romans, Normans and Angevins to the Spanish and French. An eclectic, distinct culture emerged that con- tinues to both exhilarate and befuddle each brave soul that ventures into the bosom of its ancient avenues. Every street corner is a discovery. Every piazza, palace and church an open air museum. Rightly stated, Naples is a work of art. Overlooking this masterpiece above the city is the Museum and Royal Park of Capodimonte. Foun- ded in 1738, Capodimonte was the hunting lodge of the King of Naples, Charles of Bourbon. Char- les was a new breed of ruler for this ancient city. His Naples was no longer under the domain of a foreign power, but a newly created independent state. Charles was its sovereign in residence who ushered in a period of cultural glory that was to become the envy of Europe for over a hundred ye- ars. He spearheaded the excavations of Pompeii and Herculaneum, established the San Carlo Opera House and began construction