On view publicly for the first time at the Cantor Arts Center on Stanford University’s campus are selections from Kirk Edward Long’s extraordinary collection of Mannerist prints.
On the campus of a university known for its top-tier academics comes an equally Ivy League exhibition at the Cantor Arts Center. “Myth, Allegory and Faith” is a captivating show that brings to the public selections from the Kirk Edward Long Collection of 16th-century Mannerist prints. With over 180 works, audiences may need two or three visits to fully appreciate the historic show.
Antonio da Trento, “Narcissus,” ca. 1529, chiaroscuro woodcut (c) Kirk Edward Long Collection 2016
The Kirk Edward Long Collection is one of the most extensive private collections of Mannerist prints in the world, and many of the selections have never been exhibited in public. Visitors will be treated to a host of engaging subjects, styles, and printmaking techniques that are sure to delight. The institution writes, “The exhibition familiarizes visitors with the development of the Mannerist style in Italy, traces its dissemination through Europe, shows its adaptation for both secular and religious purposes and follows its eventual transformation into the baroque style at the end of the century. In conjunction with the exhibition, the Cantor Arts Center is co-publishing an illustrated catalogue of Kirk Edward Long’s entire collection of 700 works with essays by 10 scholars and 146 entries discussing individual works and suites.”
Hendrick Goltzius, “Apollo,” 1588, engraving, (c) Kirk Edward Long Collection 2016
“Myth, Allegory and Faith: The Kirk Edward Long Collection of Mannerist Prints” opened on February 10 and will be on view through June 20. To learn more, visit the Cantor Arts Center.
This article was featured in Fine Art Today, a weekly e-newsletter from Fine Art Connoisseur magazine. To start receiving Fine Art Today for free, click here.