Dulwich Picture Gallery presents Ribera: Art of Violence, the first UK show dedicated to the Spanish Baroque painter, draughtsman and printmaker Jusepe de Ribera (1591–1652), bringing together his most sensational and shocking works.

A selection of eight monumental canvases is displayed alongside exceptional drawings and prints exploring the powerful theme of violence in Ribera’s art and illuminating Ribera’s mastery of composition, gesture and expression, with works ranging from anatomical figure studies to inquisition scenes. Showcasing 45 works, the exhibition is arranged thematically, examining his arresting depictions of saintly martyrdom and mythological violence, skin and the five senses, crime and punishment, and the bound male figure.

This ground-breaking exhibition explores, for the first time, an aspect of Ribera’s art for which he was renowned: violent depictions of saints and figures being flayed and flogged. Ribera’s images of pain can be shocking, and he has historically been labelled as sadistic and violent. Challenging this long-standing interpretation, this show reveals the complex artistic, religious and cultural discourses underpinning the artist’s violent imagery in his paintings, prints and drawings.

This ground-breaking exhibition curated by Xavier Bray and Edward Payne explores, for the first time, an aspect of Ribera’s art for which he was renowned: violent depictions of saints and figures being flayed and flogged. Ribera’s images of pain can be shocking, and he has historically been labelled as sadistic and violent. Challenging this long-standing interpretation, this show reveals the complex artistic, religious and cultural discourses underpinning the artist’s violent imagery in his paintings, prints and drawings.

Many of the works, on view in the UK for the first time, are loaned from major European and North American institutions, including the Museu Nacional d’Art de Catalunya, Barcelona; Museo de Bellas Artes, Bilbao; Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence; Museo Nacional del Prado, Madrid; Museo Nazionale di Capodimonte, Naples; The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; Musée du Louvre, Paris; and Rhode Island School of Design.

See catalogue
News about the exhibition
Study day held at Dulwich Picture Gallery