Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500

Starting October 15, the Frick Collection on the Upper East Side opens Siena: The Art of Bronze, 1450–1500, the first exhibition to look at Siena as a center of excellence and technical innovation in Renaissance bronze sculpture.

Nearly forty works are on view, among them statues, reliefs, candelabra and medals. The sculptors include Donatello, Vecchietta and Francesco di Giorgio, and many of the pieces have never been shown outside Tuscany, which makes this a rare chance to see them in New York. The image chosen to promote the show is a close-up of a wailing woman from a bronze relief, a good indication of the emotional range these artists achieved in metal.

The exhibition goes beyond celebrating the medium's beauty and versatility. It also explains the complicated technical and political challenges Sienese bronzeworkers faced. The online presentation breaks the material into sections on the bronze foundry, Donatello in Siena, bronze and memory, reliefs, statues and statuettes, and medals.

Giulio Dalvit, the Frick's Associate Curator, organized the show and is authoring an accompanying catalogue with international contributors. It is installed in the Ronald S. Lauder Exhibition Galleries, with Louis Vuitton as Principal Cultural Sponsor.

Tickets run from $17 for students to $30 for adults. Timed tickets are recommended, and members enter free without a reservation. The exhibition runs through January 18, 2027, at 1 East 70th Street.