Description

At first glance, there may appear to be more to separate Michelangelo (1475-1564) and Bill Viola (b. 1951) than to unite them: one, the great master of the Italian Renaissance; the other, the creator of state-of-the-art immersive sound and video installations. And yet, when Martin Clayton showed Viola Her Majesty The Queen’s unsurpassed collection of Michelangelo drawings at Windsor in 2006, the two men began to discover parallels. This book presents a new perspective on both artists’ works. Stills and sequences from twelve key video pieces by Viola are reproduced alongside seventeen of Michelangelo’s presentation drawings, as well as the Taddei Tondo, the only Michelangelo marble sculpture in the UK and a treasure of the Royal Academy’s collection. Texts by Martin Clayton examine how existential concerns – the preoccupation of many Renaissance artists, not least Michelangelo – are explored in Viola’s often profoundly moving video installations, while Kira Perov provides insight into Viola’s working processes. AUTHORS: Martin Clayton is Head of Prints and Drawings at Royal Collection Trust. Kira Perov is Bill Viola’s partner and executive director of Bill Viola Studio. She manages, creatively guides and assists with the production of all his videotapes and installations, and curates exhibitions of his works worldwide. SELLING POINTS: . A selection of key works by the American video artist Bill Viola are presented alongside Michelangelo’s drawings – revealing surprising parallels . Accompanies an exhibition presenting both artists’ works at the Royal Academy of Arts, London, from 26 January to 31 March 2019 140 colour images