by usia review

The Ideal, the Real and the Caricaturein the Renaissance

Beauty and Ugliness have always fascinated people, yet their meanings shift overtime. From 20 February to 14 June 2026, Bozar presents Bellezza e Bruttezza, ahistorical exhibition that explores how artists from Italy and Northern Europe in the15th and 16th centuries depicted these extremes. From refined ideals to deliberatecaricatures. A rare opportunity to see extraordinary and precious works ofBotticelli, Titian, Da Vinci, Tintoretto, Cranach the Elder, Matsys, and many others,displayed in Belgium for the first and only time.

The exhibition traces how the standards of Beauty and Ugliness evolved from the lastquarter 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 twosubjects were interpreted by the greatest Italian artists and their counterparts fromNorthern Europe. Beauty became an increasingly important social concern at thistime, as shown by the rising number of 16th-century publications offering “recipes forlooking beautiful” and advice on cosmetics and care. Meanwhile, Ugliness also grewin prominence in art, appearing in a widening range of forms throughout the sameperiod.

Over 90 exceptional works are on display at Bozar. The selection includes works byrenowned artists such as Sandro Botticelli, Lucas Cranach the Elder, Leonardo daVinci, Frans Floris de Vriendt, Albrecht Dürer, Lorenzo Lotto, Quentin Metsys,Titian,Tintoretto, Carracci, Bordone, Sellaer, Dürer, Veronese, Campi, Dossi...The exhibition brings together these precious works from public and privatecollections across Europe and the United States. The prestigious lenders include: theGalleria degli Uffizi in Florence, Museo Nazionale Romano in Rome, the VaticanMuseum, the Louvre, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the KunsthistorischesMuseum in Vienna, the Hamburger Kunsthalle, the Galleria Borghese in Rome and theGallerie dell'Accademia in Venice.

A Bozar, Centre for Fine Arts of Brussels Production

Bozar, Centre for Fine Arts of Brussels 

Thanks to: Samir Al-Haddad, Press Office Bozar, Centre for Fine Arts of Brussels