Donatello. A life in anecdote

Prof. Dr. Andreas Beyer

Universität Basel

Speaker of the International Research Project Bilderfahrzeuge

Thursday, 29 June 2023, 5.30 pm (BST)

In-person event. Please register in advance via the Warburg Institute website.

Lecture Room at The Warburg Institute, Woburn Square , London, WC1H 0AB

This lecture is dedicated to the sculptor Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi, called Donatello (c. 1386 – 1466). His central contribution to the art of Renaissance sculpture is undisputed – as the recent shows in London, Berlin and Florence have confirmed anew. All the more astonishing is the scholarly complaint about the lack of reliable sources that would allow the artist to be seen in his individual reality of life. What remains unconsidered is a mass of information that directly or indirectly provides evidence of the artist’s self-confidence, his hubris, and his power of disposal over himself and others. By appreciating the genre of the anecdote as an indispensable primary source, this lecture aims not only to contribute to the reconstruction of Donatello’s artistic personality, but also to revive the history of the artist’s (Künstlergeschichte), beyond pure biography.

This lecture is the final event organised by the International Research Project Bilderfahrzeuge. Aby Warburg’s Legacy and the Future of Iconology and forms part of The Warburg Institute’s Director’s Seminar Series, which brings leading scholars and writers to the Institute to share new work and fresh perspectives on key issues in their fields.

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