Beauty and Ugliness in the Renaissance
Beauty and ugliness have always fascinated people, yet their meanings shift over time. Bellezza e Bruttezza explores how artists from Italy and Northern Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries depicted these extremes, from refined ideals to deliberate grotesques. A rare opportunity to see extraordinary works, some appearing in Belgium for the first and only time.
The exhibition traces how the standards of beauty and ugliness evolved from the last quarter of the 15th century to the end of the 16th century—key transitional periods—by juxtaposing in a rich and compelling confrontation the ways in which these two subjects were interpreted by the greatest Italian artists and their counterparts from Northern Europe. Beauty became an increasingly important social concern at this time, as shown by the rising number of 16th-century publications offering “recipes for looking beautiful” and advice on cosmetics and care. Meanwhile, ugliness also grew in prominence in art, appearing in a widening range of forms throughout the same period.
Discover remarkable works by renowned artists such as Botticelli, Titian, Tintoretto, Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Cranach the Elder, Massys, and many others.
Read our visitor guide and children’s guide in advance
Practical information
Dates
Location
BOZAR/Centre for Fine Arts
Ravensteinstraat 23 1000 BRUSSELS⚠️
The galleries have soft lighting to help protect the artworks.
This exhibition contains artworks with nudity.
It is not permitted to take photographs or make video recordings in this exhibition. This helps us protect sensitive artworks and respect the conditions set by our lenders.
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The catalogue is available for purchase at Bozar Bookshop by Walther König in Dutch and French. Co-published by Bozar Books & Fonds Mercator/Mercatorfonds.
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The exhibition is accessible to people with reduced mobility with the assistance of the reception staff at Bozar. The circuit has eleven rooms. Please note that two rooms are difficult to access for visitors with reduced mobility due to the building’s layout.
We kindly ask you to announce your visit in advance. This will enable us to inform you and prepare your visit as well as possible. More info on accessibility
Rates
MyBozar Card
€ 14
<26 MyBozar Card
€ 9
Standard
€ 18
< 26 year
€ 13
< 18 year
€ 0
>65 year
€ 16
Card : Preferential Reimbursement / EU Disability
€ 9
Accessibility | Wheelchair & Blind
€ 0
Accessibility | Companion wheelchair & Blind
€ 0
museumPASSmusées
€ 2
ICOM
€ 0
Carte press / Perskaarten : VVJ, AJP, IFJ, API-IPA, AICA
€ 0
Brussels Card
€ 0
Sandro Botticelli Allegorical Portrait of a Woman (possibly Simonetta Vespucci), 1475-90, Private co
Palma il Vecchio (Jacopo Negretti), Young Woman in Green Dress, c 1512-14, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery
Titian and collaborator Portrait of Giulia Gonzaga, c 1534 Private collection
Titian and collaborator
Portrait of Giulia Gonzaga, c 1534
Oil on canvas, 92 x 81 cm
Private collection
Tiziano Vecellio Woman Holding an Apple, c 1550-55 National Gallery of Art, Washington
Tiziano Vecellio
Woman Holding an Apple, c 1550-55
Oil on canvas, 97,8 x 73,8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Jan Massys La Joyeuse Compagnie, 1562 Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Jan Massys
La Joyeuse Compagnie, 1562
Oil on panel, 76,5 x 100 cm
Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Giovan Paolo Lomazzo Grotesque, Right-Facing Head of a Woman, c 1560 Private collection
Giovan Paolo Lomazzo
Grotesque, Right-Facing Head of a Woman, c 1560
Oil and tempera on panel, 26 x 18 cm
Private collection
Niccolò Frangipane (attribué à) Repas bachique, c 1580 Musée municipal de Soissons
Niccolò Frangipane (attribué à)
Repas bachique, c 1580
Oil on canvas, 122 x 154 cm
Musée municipal de Soissons
Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem Laughing Jester, end 16th Century Allard Pierson (Theatre Collection), Amsterdam
Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem
Laughing Jester, end 16th Century
Oil on panel, 46,5 x 33,5 cm
Allard Pierson (Theatre Collection), Amsterdam
Sandro Botticelli Allegorical Portrait of a Woman (possibly Simonetta Vespucci), 1475-90, Private co
Palma il Vecchio (Jacopo Negretti), Young Woman in Green Dress, c 1512-14, Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna, Picture Gallery
Titian and collaborator Portrait of Giulia Gonzaga, c 1534 Private collection
Titian and collaborator
Portrait of Giulia Gonzaga, c 1534
Oil on canvas, 92 x 81 cm
Private collection
Tiziano Vecellio Woman Holding an Apple, c 1550-55 National Gallery of Art, Washington
Tiziano Vecellio
Woman Holding an Apple, c 1550-55
Oil on canvas, 97,8 x 73,8 cm
National Gallery of Art, Washington
Jan Massys La Joyeuse Compagnie, 1562 Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Jan Massys
La Joyeuse Compagnie, 1562
Oil on panel, 76,5 x 100 cm
Musée Thomas Henry, Cherbourg-en-Cotentin
Giovan Paolo Lomazzo Grotesque, Right-Facing Head of a Woman, c 1560 Private collection
Giovan Paolo Lomazzo
Grotesque, Right-Facing Head of a Woman, c 1560
Oil and tempera on panel, 26 x 18 cm
Private collection
Niccolò Frangipane (attribué à) Repas bachique, c 1580 Musée municipal de Soissons
Niccolò Frangipane (attribué à)
Repas bachique, c 1580
Oil on canvas, 122 x 154 cm
Musée municipal de Soissons
Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem Laughing Jester, end 16th Century Allard Pierson (Theatre Collection), Amsterdam
Cornelis Cornelisz. van Haarlem
Laughing Jester, end 16th Century
Oil on panel, 46,5 x 33,5 cm
Allard Pierson (Theatre Collection), Amsterdam
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