Exhibition23.02.202229.05.2022
PAST EXHIBITION

Carlo Crivelli

Shadows on the Sky 

Exhibition23.02.202229.05.2022
PAST EXHIBITION

Carlo Crivelli

Shadows on the Sky 

Ikon presents the first exhibition in the UK dedicated to the work of Renaissance artist Carlo Crivelli.

Shadows on the Sky highlights his experimental use of perspective, trompe l’oeil (optical illusion) and sculptural relief to create illusions of illusionism. Such cleverness was conveyed with consummate craftsmanship and foiled by an extraordinary elegance. Crivelli’s paintings both suggest and undermine his own visual trickery to explore the coexistence of material and spiritual realities.

Organised in partnership with The National Gallery, the exhibition also includes loans from other leading institutions such as the National Trust, the Vatican Pinacoteca, the Victoria & Albert Museum, The Wallace Collection, and the Gemäldegalerie. Through these major loans – some for the first time – we are invited to reconsider Crivelli’s sophisticated understanding of the relationship between art and what it represents. With a sense of irony, found five hundred years later in Magritte’s Ceci n’est pas une pipe (1929), he subtly denies the possibility of one being confused with the other.

Shadows on the Sky was made possible by the inaugural Ampersand Foundation Award, which granted Ikon £150,000 in 2019 to realise a “curatorial dream”. Ikon Director Jonathan Watkins has long championed Crivelli, having published an influential article on him in Art International in 1988. The show is co-curated by Amanda Hilliam, who has recently completed a doctoral thesis on Crivelli and is soon to have a monograph published by Reaktion Books.

To coincide with the exhibition, Ikon will also show two works by pioneering photorealist artist Audrey Flack (b.1931, USA), whose 1981 Arts Magazine article on Crivelli recognised his originality and impact on contemporary art. Ikon will additionally run a programme that invites Midlands-based contemporary artists to respond to the exhibition. There is also a series of public events, including a talk at The National Gallery on 22 February 2022 and a major conference in Birmingham on 25 February 2022.

No video files found.
00:00
00:00

Exhibition Details

First Floor

Information on Ikon Gallery’s accessibility is available here.

For additional access enquiries please contact learning@ikon-gallery.org

SHARE

3D Visit

Downloads

Document Name
Type
Size
Download
Exhibition Guide
pdf
989.5 kB
Press Release
pdf
246.1 kB
Art Explorer Guide
pdf
1.2 MB
Activity Pack - KS1
pdf
841.0 kB
Activity Pack - KS2
pdf
792.6 kB
Activity Pack - KS3
pdf
1.5 MB

Related

Exhibition23.02.202229.05.2022
See more
Audrey Flack
After Crivelli
To coincide with Ikon’s exhibition of works by the 15th century master Carlo Crivelli, the gallery shows two works by the pioneering photorealist artist Audrey Flack.
Family13.05.2022
Read more
May Family Saturday
Crivelli Fruit Salad
Families created colourful hanging fruit paper garlands in response to the symbolic fruits and use of illusionism in Carlo Crivelli’s paintings.
Exhibition09.09.202213.11.2022
See more
Edward Lear 
Moment to Moment
Ikon’s exhibition is the first solely devoted to Lear’s sketches and landscape drawings from across the entire span of his career.
News20.12.2022
Read more
Annual Review: 2022
As we approach the end of 2022, we would like to thank everyone who has supported Ikon during the year. We remain committed to offering free experiences of art for all, including our exhibitions, off-site projects, talks, tours and workshops.
STAY IN TOUCH
SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER

IKON GALLERY
1 Oozells Square, Brindleyplace
Birmingham, B1 2HS

GALLERY: +44 (0)121 248 0708
SHOP: +44 (0)121 248 0711

Ikon is supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England, and Birmingham City Council.

Copyright © 2024 IKON. All rights reserved. Registered charity no. 528892