- Alessandra Galizzi Kroegel, Ph.D. in the History of Art, is Research Professor (“Ricercatore"/"Professore aggregato”)... moreAlessandra Galizzi Kroegel, Ph.D. in the History of Art, is Research Professor (“Ricercatore"/"Professore aggregato”) at the Università di Trento, where she teaches Museology and History of Art Criticism. Before coming to Trent, she taught at the Scuola di Specializzazione of the Catholic University of Milan and at the Università degli Studi di Urbino. In 1991-1992 she was Mellon Assistant Curator at the Department of Renaissance Painting of the National Gallery of Art, Washington. Her primary field of interest and research is Italian Renaissance painting, with particular emphasis on Marian iconography. Since her Ph.D. dissertation (The Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, 1992), she has been investigating the iconography of the Immaculate Conception, a subject on which she has published a number of essays and articles. One of her most important studies on this subject concerned the Dispute over the Immaculate Conception by Guillaume de Marcillat (1529), and developed into an exhibition at the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin, which she co-curated with Roberto Contini ("AVE EVA. Ein wiederentdecktes Hauptwerk des Renaissance Meister Guillaume de Marcillat", 8 December 2013- 13 May 2014). Recently she conceived and co-curated, together with Stefanie Paulmichl, the exhibition "ANNA, la madre di Maria. Culto e iconografia nel Tirolo storico" (Trent, Museo Diocesano Tridentino, 1 ottobre-10 dicembre 2021). Her second field of research and publication is Museum Studies: she is particularly interested in museum architecture and refurbishment, and in the development of the artworks presentation throughout the last two centuries, both in Italy and Germany. From 1999 to 2009 she collaborated as correspondent from Berlin and Germany with both Il Giornale dell’arte and The Art Newspaper (Turin/London, Umberto Allemandi Editore), publishing around one hundred articles on the development of the museum landscape in Berlin and former GDR regions after Reunification. For further information see: https://webapps.unitn.it/du/it/Persona/PER0052284/Curriculumedit
Essay published in the conference proceedings "La Disputa sull'Immacolata Concezione nella Toscana del Cinquecento" (Florence, Galleria dell'Accademia, May 13, 2019), edited by Cecile Hollberg (Firenze: Centro Di, 2023).
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Essay within the catalogue of the exhibition "Anna, la madre di Maria. Culto e iconografia nel Tirolo storico", which was held at the Museo Diocesano Tridentino (Trent, October 1st - December 10th, 2021).
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The essay discusses the iconography of two panel paintings by Johannes Hispanus representing a few episodes from the childhood and youth of Achilles: the works are datable to the mid-1490s and appear to originate from a Florentine... more
The essay discusses the iconography of two panel paintings by Johannes Hispanus representing a few episodes from the childhood and youth of Achilles: the works are datable to the mid-1490s and appear to originate from a Florentine humanistic milieu. The essay argues that the painter and his patron conceived the paintings’ narrative by following the Achilled by Statius quite closely. In addition, they were inspired by a well-established iconographic tradition which can be reconstructed thanks to frescoes, sarcophagi and various items from the decorative arts in the time extending from the Roman Imperial age to late antiquity. The second part of the essay addresses the question of why the portrayal of Achilles’ early life was extremely rare in Italian art until the beginning of the 16th century. After presenting an overview of Achilles’ fortuna in literature, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman works to a few vernacular ones, the argument is made that Dante’s Divine Comedy, where the hero was placed in Hell, among its lecherous inhabitants, must have contributed enormously to the reception of Achilles as a despicable “slave to love.” In fact, his reputation as a “war hero” was restored not until the High Renaissance thanks to the rediscovery of the Homeric poems.
Research Interests: Dante and the ancient commentaries tradition, Sexual Offences and Rape, Achilles, Statius' Achilleid, Cassoni, and 10 moreDivina Commedia, Johannes Hispanus, Stupro, Dante Divine Comedy, Maestro di Carlo III di Durazzo, Spalliere, Achilles on Scyros, Achilleide di Stazio, Master of Charles III of Durazzo, and Achille a Sciro
The essay analyzes the development of Botticelli’s Marian imagery throughout the artist’s career both from an iconographic and a stylistic point of view. After discussing the vast symbolism underlying in Botticelli’s devotional images of... more
The essay analyzes the development of Botticelli’s Marian imagery throughout the artist’s career both from an iconographic and a stylistic point of view. After discussing the vast symbolism underlying in Botticelli’s devotional images of the Madonna and Child, the essay stresses the literary component of the artist’s oeuvre, identifying Vernacular poetry (in particular Dante’s Divine Comedy, Petrarch’s Canzoniere, as well as Petrarchism) as crucial sources of inspiration for his later altarpieces. Attention is also paid to the influence exercised by Savonarola’s preaching over the last phase of Botticelli’s painting, with particular reference to the figure of Mary and her attire.
Research Interests: Petrarch, Dante Alighieri, Mariology, Petrarchism, Girolamo Savonarola, and 10 moreVirgin Mary, Sandro Botticelli, influence OF Girolamo Savonarola, Filippo Lippi, Commedia/Divine Comedy, Incarnational Theology, Early Christian Art; Marian Art; Religious Symbolism In Art, Savonarolan Movement, Tondo, and Tondo con Virgen
The essay offers the very first thorough discussion of an important and yet little known painting by Guillaume de Marcillat at the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. The work is analyzed both from a stylistic and an iconographical point of view, and... more
The essay offers the very first thorough discussion of an important and yet little known painting by Guillaume de Marcillat at the Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. The work is analyzed both from a stylistic and an iconographical point of view, and new suggestions are made concerning its problematic dating and function.
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Il saggio analizza -- per la prima volta in modo sistematico -- l'iconografia mariana nell'opera di Piero di Cosimo. Questo artista, già celebre per le sue originalissime invenzioni rispetto ai temi profani, risulta essersi distinto anche... more
Il saggio analizza -- per la prima volta in modo sistematico -- l'iconografia mariana nell'opera di Piero di Cosimo. Questo artista, già celebre per le sue originalissime invenzioni rispetto ai temi profani, risulta essersi distinto anche nel modo di interpretare la figura della Vergine Maria, per la quale Piero scelse, con notevole coerenza in tutta la sua carriera, fisionomie e tipi di abbigliamento eccezionalmente modesti rispetto alle raffigurazioni contemporanee (Botticelli, Filippino ecc.). Nel saggio si propone di leggere queste scelte alla luce della personalità di Piero, così come essa emerge dalla biografia vasariana: un uomo senza dubbio solitario e poco convenzionale, eppure profondamente devoto. Nel saggio si sostiene che tale devozione seppe anche tradursi per l'artista in una profonda comprensione delle immagini sacre che gli venivano commissionate. Una comprensione che permise a Piero di Cosimo di inventare soggetti nuovi in quanto sorprendentemente al passo col dibattito teologico contemporaneo: è questo il caso dell'originalissima pala, oggi nota come '"Incarnazione e Santi" (Firenze, Uffizi), eseguita da Piero per la Santissima Annunziata di Firenze verso il 1500.
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The essay analyzes the development of exhibitions and programs addressing the issue of immigration within German museums in the last twenty years. These initiatives are discussed in light of the much disputed German immigration law of... more
The essay analyzes the development of exhibitions and programs addressing the issue of immigration within German museums in the last twenty years. These initiatives are discussed in light of the much disputed German immigration law of 2005 (the so called "Zuwanderungsgesetz"), as well as of the courses for integration ("Integrationskursen") which more recently have been promoted by the German Federal Government. Furthermore, the essay provides recent statistics about immigration in Germany, and offers a critical overview of the most interesting museum programs aiming to integrate both immigrants and refugees.
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The essay summarizes the most important results of the last sixty years of research on the iconography of the Immaculate Conception, arguing that two crucial aspects have become progressively clearer, namely the issues of " invention "... more
The essay summarizes the most important results of the last sixty years of research on the iconography of the Immaculate Conception, arguing that two crucial aspects have become progressively clearer, namely the issues of " invention " and " caution. " As for " invention " , the two liturgical offices which Pope Sixtus IV assigned to the feast of December 8 th have been identified as the main source of inspiration for most representations of the Immaculate Conception in Italian Renaissance art. " Caution " , on the other hand, refers to the need for prudent propaganda felt by the supporters of the Immaculate Conception, especially by those living in major centers, where ecclesiastical authorities might easily have reported any form of excessive immaculist propaganda to the Inquisition. The essay argues that the altarpieces painted by Bernardo Zenale for two Francis-can churches, one in Cantù (1502), the other in Milan (1510), well represent the issues of " invention " and " caution. First, both paintings visualize concepts and figures that the liturgical office by Bernardino de' Bustis, a Milanese Franciscan, had made quite popular, particularly in Lombardy and Milan. Second, most of the concepts and figures here visualized do not refer to Mary's exemption from Original Sin in an obvious way: on the contrary, they require some decoding. This is especially true for Zenale's altarpiece for San Francesco Grande in Milan, which is highly cryptic, confirming that the need for cautious propaganda must have been stronger in Milan than in peripheral Cantù.
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Il 26 e il 27 febbraio si svolgerà presso l'Università degli Studi e il Politecnico di Torino un convegno sulla cultura museologica, il dibattito critico, la gestione dei musei negli anni a ridosso della Conferenza di Madrid del 1934
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The paper argues that the particular "fortuna" enjoyed by the depiction of the Annunciation in the Renaissance may also be understood in direct relation to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. In the fifteenth century, as the cult... more
The paper argues that the particular "fortuna" enjoyed by the depiction of the Annunciation in the Renaissance may also be understood in direct relation to the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception. In the fifteenth century, as the cult of the Virgin Immaculate was becoming increasingly popular, strong support was given in favor of this belief by a peculiar exegesis of the Pericope of Luke 1:26-38, and in particular to Gabriel's words to the Virgin Mary "Ave, gratia plena" (Lk. 1:28). Although well known to theologians, this aspect of the meeting of Gabriel and the Virgin Mary has so far been ignored, or even misunderstood, in the studies of the iconography of both the Annunciation and the Immaculate Conception.
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The essay analyzes the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception by stressing its peculiar character, which is based on a strong emotional experience and perception of the Marian cult rather than on a rational interpretation of the Holy... more
The essay analyzes the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception by stressing its peculiar character, which is based on a strong emotional experience and perception of the Marian cult rather than on a rational interpretation of the Holy Scriptures. After presenting an overview of the iconography of the Immaculate Conception from the 15th- to the 18th- century, the essay discusses the possible relationship existing between the most famous modern apparitions of the Virgin Mary (Paris 1830, Lourdes 1858) and the design of the European flag, which was conceived in the 1950s.
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Il saggio analizza le strategie adottate da due fra i più importanti musei diocesani tedeschi, che negli ultimi decenni hanno aperto le proprie collezioni e i propri spazi all'arte contemporanea, approfondendo così il dialogo fra... more
Il saggio analizza le strategie adottate da due fra i più importanti musei diocesani tedeschi, che negli ultimi decenni hanno aperto le proprie collezioni e i propri spazi all'arte contemporanea, approfondendo così il dialogo fra quest'ultima e la Chiesa Cattolica. Dopo aver discusso la filosofia museale dei rispettivi direttori (Joachim Plotzek per il Kolumba Museum di Colonia, Juergen Lenssen per il Museum am Dom di Würzburg), vengono messi a confronto gli allestimenti dei due musei, che sono profondamente diversi pur partendo da premesse analoghe, in particolare dalla convinzione che il compito di un museo ecclesiastico oggi non è proporre un'evangelizzazione forzata, bensì diventare un luogo d'incontro e di dialogo sul mistero dell'uomo.
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The essay discusses the exhibition policies that were developed for a few altarpieces by Raphael in German and Italian museums during the nineteenth century and up to the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, it is argued... more
The essay discusses the exhibition policies that were developed for a few altarpieces by Raphael in German and Italian museums during the nineteenth century and up to the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, it is argued that the spectacular presentation reserved for the Sistine Madonna in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden after 1855 was deeply influential for the presentation of the Ecstasy of Santa Cecilia in the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, and for the Marriage of the Virgin in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. Evidence supports the idea that these similarities were the result of specific interchanges among people in the field, whether museum directors, art historians, or intellectuals in general, thus confirming that museums are an ideal place for transnational discourse and cultural exchange.
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The essay discusses the exhibition policies that were developed for a few altarpieces by Raphael in German and Italian museums during the nineteenth century and up to the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, it is argued... more
The essay discusses the exhibition policies that were developed for a few altarpieces by Raphael in German and Italian museums during the nineteenth century and up to the first half of the twentieth century. In particular, it is argued that the spectacular presentation reserved for the Sistine Madonna in the Gemäldegalerie Alte Meister in Dresden after 1855 was deeply influential for the presentation of the Ecstasy of Santa Cecilia in the Pinacoteca Nazionale di Bologna, and for the Marriage of the Virgin in the Pinacoteca di Brera in Milan. Evidence supports Alessandra Galizzi Kroegel Make space for the great Raphael! kunsttexte.de 3/2015 27 the idea that these similarities were the result of specific interchanges among people in the field, whether museum directors, art historians, or intellectuals in general, thus confirming that museums are an ideal place for transnational discourse and cultural exchange.
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The essay discusses the iconography of two panel paintings by Johannes Hispanus representing a few episodes from the childhood and youth of Achilles: the works are datable to the mid-1490s and appear to originate from a Florentine... more
The essay discusses the iconography of two panel paintings by Johannes Hispanus representing a few episodes from the childhood and youth of Achilles: the works are datable to the mid-1490s and appear to originate from a Florentine humanistic milieu. The essay argues that the painter and his patron conceived the paintings’ narrative by following the Achilled by Statius quite closely. In addition, they were inspired by a well-established iconographic tradition which can be reconstructed thanks to frescoes, sarcophagi and various items from the decorative arts in the time extending from the Roman Imperial age to late antiquity. The second part of the essay addresses the question of why the portrayal of Achilles’ early life was extremely rare in Italian art until the beginning of the 16th century. After presenting an overview of Achilles’ fortuna in literature, ranging from ancient Greek and Roman works to a few vernacular ones, the argument is made that Dante’s Divine Comedy, where the hero was placed in Hell, among its lecherous inhabitants, must have contributed enormously to the reception of Achilles as a despicable “slave to love.” In fact, his reputation as a “war hero” was restored not until the High Renaissance thanks to the rediscovery of the Homeric poems.
Research Interests: Art, Dante and the ancient commentaries tradition, Sexual Offences and Rape, Achilles, Hero, and 14 moreStatius' Achilleid, Cassoni, Divina Commedia, Johannes Hispanus, The Renaissance, Stupro, Dante Divine Comedy, Ikon, Maestro di Carlo III di Durazzo, Spalliere, Achilles on Scyros, Achilleide di Stazio, Master of Charles III of Durazzo, and Achille a Sciro
Si tratta di un'analisi degli inizi della moderna museografia italiana che rivela il ruolo pioneristico avuto dallo storico dell’arte e soprintendente Guglielmo Pacchioni (Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena, 1883 - Milano 1969) nella... more
Si tratta di un'analisi degli inizi della moderna museografia italiana che rivela il ruolo pioneristico avuto dallo storico dell’arte e soprintendente Guglielmo Pacchioni (Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena, 1883 - Milano 1969) nella riorganizzazione di musei come la Galleria Sabauda di Torino (1932) e i Musei Civici di Novara (1934) e di Pesaro (1936). La rivista internazionale Mouseion viene qui individuata come la principale fonte di ispirazione della moderna filosofia museale di Pacchioni, con particolare riferimento al suo impegno nel realizzare allestimenti maggiormente “a misura d’uomo”, superando così la moda allora corrente in Italia (ma ormai superata nel resto d’Europa) delle ambientazioni d’epoca.
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Research Interests: Iconography, Art History, Art, Franciscan Studies, Franciscan Spirituality, and 15 moreVisual Arts, Christian Iconography, Leonardo da Vinci, Immaculate Conception, Francescanesimo, Bernardo Zenale, Immaculate Conception History, Marian Iconography, Iconografia Vergine Maria, Immacolata Concezione, Franciscan Iconography, Ikon, Iconografia Francescana, Vergine delle rocce, and Virgin of the Rocks
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Research Interests: Art, Franciscan Studies, Franciscan Spirituality, Christian Iconography, Leonardo da Vinci, and 12 moreImmaculate Conception, Francescanesimo, Bernardo Zenale, Immaculate Conception History, Marian Iconography, Iconografia Vergine Maria, Immacolata Concezione, Franciscan Iconography, Ikon, Iconografia Francescana, Vergine delle rocce, and Virgin of the Rocks
This is an introductory essay for the book by Giuseppe Sava “L’Arte e la Regola. Le arti figurative nella Provincia di San Vigilio dei Frati Minori”, with essays by Daniela Floris, Italo Franceschini, Alessandra Galizzi Kroegel (Trent:... more
This is an introductory essay for the book by Giuseppe Sava “L’Arte e la Regola. Le arti figurative nella Provincia di San Vigilio dei Frati Minori”, with essays by Daniela Floris, Italo Franceschini, Alessandra Galizzi Kroegel (Trent: Società di Studi Trentini di Scienze Storiche, 2016). The essay briefly discusses the origin of the deep relationship existing between the Franciscan Order and the visual arts: this discussion starts from the intense use of painted images made by St. Francis himself, and ends with the influence of the preaching by St. Bernardino da Siena on Franciscan imagery and iconography, including the production of visual arts within the Provincia di San Vigilio in Trentino.
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The essay analyzes the development of Botticelli’s Marian imagery throughout the artist’s career both from an iconographic and a stylistic point of view. After discussing the vast symbolism underlying in Botticelli’s devotional images of... more
The essay analyzes the development of Botticelli’s Marian imagery throughout the artist’s career both from an iconographic and a stylistic point of view. After discussing the vast symbolism underlying in Botticelli’s devotional images of the Madonna and Child, the essay stresses the literary component of the artist’s oeuvre, identifying Vernacular poetry (in particular Dante’s Divine Comedy, Petrarch’s Canzoniere, as well as Petrarchism) as crucial sources of inspiration for his later altarpieces. Attention is also paid to the influence exercised by Savonarola’s preaching over the last phase of Botticelli’s painting, with particular reference to the figure of Mary and her attire.
Research Interests: Petrarch, Dante Alighieri, Mariology, Petrarchism, Girolamo Savonarola, and 14 moreSandro Botticelli, influence OF Girolamo Savonarola, Filippo Lippi, Commedia/Divine Comedy, Francesco Petrarca, Divina Commedia, Incarnational Theology, Early Christian Art; Marian Art; Religious Symbolism In Art, Savonarolan Movement, Petrarchismo, Mariologia, Dante Divine Comedy, Tondo, and teologia incarnazionista
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Si tratta di un'analisi degli inizi della moderna museografia italiana che rivela il ruolo pioneristico avuto dallo storico dell’arte e soprintendente Guglielmo Pacchioni (Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena, 1883 - Milano 1969) nella... more
Si tratta di un'analisi degli inizi della moderna museografia italiana che rivela il ruolo pioneristico avuto dallo storico dell’arte e soprintendente Guglielmo Pacchioni (Pavullo nel Frignano, Modena, 1883 - Milano 1969) nella riorganizzazione di musei come la Galleria Sabauda di Torino (1932) e i Musei Civici di Novara (1934) e di Pesaro (1936). La rivista internazionale Mouseion viene qui individuata come la principale fonte di ispirazione della moderna filosofia museale di Pacchioni, con particolare riferimento al suo impegno nel realizzare allestimenti maggiormente “a misura d’uomo”, superando così la moda allora corrente in Italia (ma ormai superata nel resto d’Europa) delle ambientazioni d’epoca.
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This is an introductory essay for the book by Giuseppe Sava “L’Arte e la Regola. Le arti figurative nella Provincia di San Vigilio dei Frati Minori”, with essays by Daniela Floris, Italo Franceschini, Alessandra Galizzi Kroegel (Trent:... more
This is an introductory essay for the book by Giuseppe Sava “L’Arte e la Regola. Le arti figurative nella Provincia di San Vigilio dei Frati Minori”, with essays by Daniela Floris, Italo Franceschini, Alessandra Galizzi Kroegel (Trent: Società di Studi Trentini di Scienze Storiche, 2016). The essay briefly discusses the origin of the deep relationship existing between the Franciscan Order and the visual arts: this discussion starts from the intense use of painted images made by St. Francis himself, and ends with the influence of the preaching by St. Bernardino da Siena on Franciscan imagery and iconography, including the production of visual arts within the Provincia di San Vigilio in Trentino.
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Preface and Introduction to the catalogue of the exhibition held at the Museo Diocesano Tridentino (Trento, October 1st - December 10th, 2021).
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The essay discusses a group of five paintings by Johannes Hispanus. The part written by Galizzi Kroegel analyzes their iconographies, mostly unusual and quite mysterious, and proposes to identify their literary sources in Statius'... more
The essay discusses a group of five paintings by Johannes Hispanus. The part written by Galizzi Kroegel analyzes their iconographies, mostly unusual and quite mysterious, and proposes to identify their literary sources in Statius' Achilleid (the first set of two paintings), in Boccaccio's Decameron (the second set of two paintings, so far unpublished), and in Ovid's Metamorphoses (the last painting) respectively.
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Il saggio esamina la complessa e attualissima questione della restituzione di beni culturali fra nazioni diverse, così come fra i rispettivi musei. Dopo aver individuato le principali categorie di beni culturali cui si può applicare il... more
Il saggio esamina la complessa e attualissima questione della restituzione di beni culturali fra nazioni diverse, così come fra i rispettivi musei. Dopo aver individuato le principali categorie di beni culturali cui si può applicare il processo di restituzione, il saggio illustra a grandi linee i principi etici e la legislatura internazionale relativi al fenomeno.
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Il saggio vuole esplicitare la portata dell'opera di Francesco Verla in ambito trentino, sottolineandone il ruolo pionieristico non solo dal punto di vista dello stile, ma anche del formato: a Verla si deve infatti la prima pala d'altare... more
Il saggio vuole esplicitare la portata dell'opera di Francesco Verla in ambito trentino, sottolineandone il ruolo pionieristico non solo dal punto di vista dello stile, ma anche del formato: a Verla si deve infatti la prima pala d'altare rinascimentale in questa regione. Per meglio illustrare il fondamentale contributo dell'artista, il saggio presenta un excursus sullo sviluppo della pala d'altare dalle origini, nel XIII secolo, al periodo in cui operò il Verla, cioè gli inizi del XVI secolo. Le pale d'altare di Verla vengono così contestualizzate alla luce delle maggiori novità rinascimentali (da Firenze a Venezia) per quanto riguarda sia l'impostazione spaziale della scena dipinta, sia il formato della tavola o tela, inclusa la cornice. Il saggio si conclude analizzando una serie di questioni iconografiche nell'opera del Verla che sinora erano rimaste senza risposta, e per ognuna delle quali si è proposta o ipotizzata una soluzione.
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This issue deals with the concept of Mariology and its history, focusing on its sources and political implications at different times. Special attention is paid to the inherent ambiguity of the political use of the figure of Mary.