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Visions of the Apocalypse in Medieval Spain: The Beatus Manuscripts
Beginning May 13, 2008
Lorem Ipsum, is the curator of the exhibition.
The eighth century was a time of great upheaval in Spain. The Muslims’ invasion of 711 and the emergence of several heretical theologies had wreaked havoc on the orthodox Catholic church, and medieval calculations of world chronology indicated that the end of the world would come in the year 800. It was in this uncertain environment that Beatus, a staunchly orthodox monk from the monastery of San Martín de Turieno in Liébana in northern Spain, compiled the text that would become the basis for some of the most important works of Spanish art ever produced.
In 776 Beatus assembled a commentary on the Book of Revelation, also known as the Apocalypse, culled from the apocalyptic writings of such patristic fathers as Augustine, Jerome, Isidore de Seville, and Tyconius, a North African exegetical writer. Lavishly illustrated and known today as the Beatus manuscripts, the copies of this text made by medieval scribes and illuminators hold a singular place in the history of medieval illumination.
Ranging in date from around 885 to around 1240, the surviving Beatus manuscripts and fragments comprise over fifteen hundred individual illuminations that are compelling not only for their vibrant color and bold imagery but for the literal yet imaginative way in which the artists interpreted the texts. Visions of the Apocalypse in Medieval Spain marks the first major gathering of these remarkable works in the United States. Guest Curator John Williams, Professor Emeritus of Art History, University of Pittsburgh, will select some twenty-three of the twenty-seven extant Beatus manuscripts and fragments from collections in Spain, France, England, Italy, and the United States to present a comprehensive picture of the visual interpretations of the original Beatus text, highlighting the imagination of the artists who created the visual story of the end of the world.
Visions of the Apocalypse in Medieval Spain will be accompanied by a catalogue presenting new research from American and Spanish scholars, among them, Richard K. Emmerson, Executive Director of the Medieval Academy of America; Fernando Lopez Alsina, Professor of History, University of Santiago de Compostela; and Joaquín Yarza, Professor of the History of Art, Autonomous University of Barcelona.
Beginning May 13, 2008, Visions of the Apocalypse in Medieval Spain will travel to the J. Paul Getty Museum and one other venue.
For more information, contact Erik Neil at ext. 66 or eneil@afaweb.org.
This exhibition is organized by the American Federation of Arts. Support for this exhibition has been provided by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
The catalogue for this exhibition is made possible, in part, by a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation.
Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this exhibition do not necessarily reflect those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
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