Italian paintings to be shown at Scottish gallery

ITAlian paintings spanning five centuries are to go on display next year at a Scottish gallery for the first time.

Essence of Beauty: 500 years of Italian Art features medieval and Renaissance masters such as Titian (1488–1576), Bellini (1430–1516) and Botticelli (1445-1510) as well as lesser known artists such as Salvator Rosa (1615-1673).

The exhibition at Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum in Glasgow will open on 6 April and run until 12 August.

Patricia Collins, curator of medieval and Renaissance art, said it was the first time all the paintings from Glasgow’s collection had been displayed together, in a chronological exploration of Italian art.

She said: “What better way to do it than to actually show people some of the paintings.

“What we want to do is not just to show the paintings and objects in some historical context to let people know what was going on at the time.

“The exhibition will provide some background about the church, for example, in the early period and up to the end of the 19th century when photography entered the scene, and you’ve got a kind of rival, as it were, to painting.”