Bellezza e Bruttezza. Ideale, reale, caricaturale nel Rinascimento
Beauty and ugliness have long gone hand in hand. During the Renaissance, however, this age-old contrast took an unexpected turn. Artists no longer confined themselves to the ideal body or the perfect face, but also found inspiration in the grotesque, the peculiar and the imperfect.
From 10 July to 18 October 2026, Gallerie d’Italia in Milan explores this fascinating development in Beauty and Ugliness. Ideal, real and caricature in the Renaissance, an exhibition curated by Chiara Rabbi Bernard in collaboration with Bozar – Centre for Fine Arts Brussels.
Featuring works by Sandro Botticelli, Michelangelo, Titian, Albrecht Dürer and Lucas Cranach the Elder, the exhibition places the Italian Renaissance alongside that of Northern Europe. From classical ideals of beauty and lifelike portraits to grotesque figures and caricatures, it reveals an era in which artistic ingenuity increasingly blurred the boundaries between beauty and ugliness.
The Phoebus Foundation is also represented in Milan with four works from its collection. Together, they reveal how artists from the Southern Netherlands viewed human nature: with a keen eye for the grotesque and a subtle sense of satire.
Bellezza e Bruttezza. Ideale, reale, caricaturale nel Rinascimento is on view at Gallerie d’Italia in Milan until 18 October 2026. For more information and tickets, visit gallerieditalia.com.