Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth

Renaissance master Fra Anglico transformed the history of western art with his breathtaking paintings. Heaven on Earth reunites the Gardner's magnificent Assumption and Dormition of the Virgin, acquired by Isabella in 1899 and the first Fra Angelico to reach the United States, with its three companions from the Museo di San Marco, Florence. Conceived as a set of jewel-like reliquaries for the Florentine church of Santa Maria Novella, they tell the story of the Virgin Mary's life. This exhibition invites you to explore Fra Angelico's ground-breaking narrative art, marvel at his peerless creativity, and immerse yourself in the material splendor of his craftsmanship.

Credit: Exhibition overview from museum website.       

Image: Fra Angelico (Italian, about 1400-1455), The Dormition and Assumption of the Virgin (detail), 1424-1434. Tempera with oil glazes and gold on panel, 85.7 x 45.1 cm (33 3/4 x 17 3/4 in.) Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston (P15w34)  

Whether or not you go, the accompanying catalog, Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth, explores the work of one of the most important artists of the Renaissance. Fra Angelico (c. 1395–1455) transformed painting in Florence with pioneering narrative images, rethinking popular compositions and investing traditional Christian subjects with new meaning. His altarpieces and frescoes set new standards for quality and ingenuity, contributing to Angelico’s unparalleled fame on the Italian peninsula. With the intellect of a Dominican theologian, the technical facility of Florence’s finest craftsmen and the business acumen of its shrewdest merchants, he shaped the future of painting in Italy and beyond.

To learn more, or to place this volume in your Amazon shopping cart, tap Fra Angelico: Heaven on Earth.