Jenny Saville: A Revolutionary Artist

The Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Museo degli Innocenti, and Museo di Casa Buonarroti in Florence, Italy are featuring the works of contemporary British artist Jenny Saville amidst their collections of masterpieces from the centuries. Juxtaposed with the works of Michelangelo and others, her figural work enters the visual tradition works.

JENNY SAVILLE Gestation, 2017 Pastello e carboncino su carta montata su cartone telato 200 x 152 cm 78 3/4 x 59 13/16 in © Jenny Saville. Tutti i diritti riservati, DACS 2021 Foto: Lucy Dawkins Collezione privata, Parigi. Courtesy dell’artista e di Gagosian

The exhibition, curated by the Director of the Mueso Novecento, Sergio Risaliti features multiple locations including Museo di Palazzo Vecchio, Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, Museo degli Innocenti, and Museo di Casa Buonarroti. Each location hold its own significance, as it brings Saville’s contemporary pieces with the existing artworks of the Italian Renaissance.

Saville’s work plays with physical spaces just as much as it does with time periods and themes. Her drawing, Study for Pieta (2021) is located in the Museo dell’Opera del Duomo, in the same space as the Bandini Pieta (1547-55), which is said to be one of Michelangelo’s last sculptures. By depicting characters with impassioned expressions, symbolizing a sense of melancholy, Saville mirrors the themes of Michelangelo’s Bandini Pieta.

Jenny Saville Firenze, Installation view, Museo degli Innocenti © Jenny Saville. Tutti i diritti riservati, DACS 2021 Foto: Sebastiano Pellion di Persano Courtesy Gagosian

Another example is Saville’s painting, The Mothers (2011), deals with the themes of motherhood and female body. In this example, the space, Museo degli Innocenti, is in conversation with the art piece. The building was designed as a shelter for deserted children and devotes itself to the protection of children’s rights. Therefore, the painting opens doors to not only viewing and critiquing the art, but also evaluating the significance of the space as well.

Jenny Saville engages viewers in her work by showcasing the nude female body and placing it in different figurative and literal spaces. Their poses, expressions, and placement also reflect ancient art but Saville does not limit herself to the style or rules of older time periods. These radical and daring artistic choices is what makes Jenny Saville stand out as one of the greatest painters in current times.

The exhibition can be seen all throughout the museums of Florence from September 30th, 2021 until February 20th, 2022.

 

— Mahogany Brim

 

 

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