Giovanni Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert, a hallmark of The Frick Collection and one of the most important Italian Renaissance paintings in America, is a moving, spiritual portrait of a central figure in western Christianity. It is also a profoundly mysterious work, whose beauty adepth of detail are matched only by the enigma of the artist’s intentions. This spring, following a period of unprecedented study, the painting is the subject of a special exhibition, In a New Light: Bellini’s St. Francis in the Desert.
Running from May 22 through August 28, the dossier presentation places the painting in the skylit Oval Room for a rare viewing opportunity outside of its traditional location in the mansion’s Living Hall. The exhibition also marks the debut of a Multimedia Room at the Frick. This new educational space, just steps away from the Oval Room, will allow visitors to learn about the technical examination through videos and interactive photography.