Tintoretto. Paradise

The exhibition will look at the two competitions convened in the late 16th century by the Republic of Venice to execute the paintings that would decorate the Sala del Gran Consiglo in the Palazzo Ducale. The leading Venetian artists of the day presented their preliminary designs for these two competitions, of which those by Tintoretto (two preliminary oil paintings, one in the Museum’s collection), Palma Giovane and Bassano have survived. The exhibition reunites these works, which are all of large format. Tintoretto’s The Paradise, in the Museum’s collection, measures 164 x 492 cm, giving an idea of the scale of these works and the exceptional nature of the exhibition.

The exhibition has been organised in collaboration with the Musée du Louvre, where it will be shown until May 2006, and with the Palazzo Ducale in Venice, where the exhibition will be seen following its Madrid showing, in Autumn 2006.