Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe @ The Walters Art Museum

Looking around for an exhibit to visit on this cold and blustery day, I scanned the websites of museums from Philadelphia to Richmond and settled on the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore after reading about this special exhibition. Sounds amazing, right? And perhaps that's the problem, it's such a good idea for an exhibition that when it's done poorly, it just kills me. The idea deserved a better treatment and I was frankly disappointed. Now, that's not to say that there weren't things of interest, there were. Here they are, in fact.

This cover to the catalogue features a detail from "The Adoration of the Kings" c. 1514 from the workshop of Gerard David. From what can be determined from the records of the time, when this was painted there were between 8 and 10 Africans living in Antwerp. And here are two of them! I loved that. It's clear from the details of the portraits that we are not looking at contrivances of African people but images of two real people. That was very powerful.

"Study of Katharina" 1521 by Albrecht Dürer was hauntingly beautiful, tenderly depicting the young woman's permeating ennui.

"Chafariz d'el Rey in the Alfama District (of Lisbon)" c. 1585, anonymous Netherlandish painter is, in spite of its indeterminate authorship, the master work of the exhibition in so far as it's premise is concerned. It's a beautiful work of social intrigue and cultural record. It deserved a better representation in the exhibition (a large "print" of a etching had a more prominent placement--like an advertisement in a department store. Sheesh!)

Other works of lesser proportions like this beautiful little cameo were also very much appreciated. "Bust of a Black African Woman" c. 1575-1600 by the Workshop of Girolamo Miseroni. I bought the catalogue and hope to get more out of it that will enhance my appreciation of the exhibition, the audio tour was 90% useless. The thing is, when someone takes on a great idea and does a mediocre execution, it still bears the stigma of having been "done" and it's not likely to be attempted again for decades. Therein lies the real shame.