A Discussion on Bellini's St. Francis in the Desert

The Frick Collection's St. Francis in the Desert (ca. 1475-78) by Giovanni Bellini ranks among the most important Italian Renaissance paintings in America. We invite the public to listen as a group of invited scholars discuss the painting from the perspective of the Franciscan order, which traces its origins to St. Francis of Assisi. Susannah Rutherglen, former Andrew W. Mellon Curatorial Fellow at the Frick, offers an introduction to the painting and an overview of the March 2010 technical study of the work performed by conservators at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Fr. Michael Cusato, adjunct professor at St. Mary's Seminary in Baltimore, MD, and former director of the Franciscan Institute at St. Bonaventure University in New York, discusses late medieval Franciscanism in Italy in relation to Bellini's painting. This lecture is made possible by the Robert H. Smith Family Foundation.