A friend working at the Metropolitan Museum in Manhattan said recently that she had been instructed never to mention religion – an astounding directive given the depth of the museum’s holdings in Byzantine and European art, including The Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan, constructed with materials from actual abbeys in France and Catalonia. Despite such ludicrous directives, the Met continues to mount high-quality exhibitions reflecting aspects of Western civilisation.
Through its unique approach to the display of works by Renaissance masters, such as Hans Memling, Lorenzo Lotto and Titian, Hidden Faces: Covered Portraits of the Renaissance invites viewers to examine the hidden emblems and allegories that adorn the backs and covers of the era’s portraits. It challenges the typical consideration of paintings as two-dimensional, single-sided works hung on a wall.
