Donatello exhibition to open at V&A in February

Next month sees the opening of Donatello: Sculpting the Renaissance at the V&A in London. The show is the first major UK exhibition to explore the exceptional talents of the Renaissance master Donatello (c1386-1466). Donatello worked across a full range of materials and produced works in marble, bronze, wood and stucco. His work was highly sought after and he contributed to major commissions by the Church and State.

Over 130 objects will be on show - many have never been seen in the UK before. Highlights include Donatello's early marble David which he made when he was in his 20s, the reliquary bust of San Rossore and bronzes from the High Altar of the Basilica of St Anthony in Padua.

David, by Donatello, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy. Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture. Photo: Bruno Bruchi

Credit: David, by Donatello, Museo Nazionale del Bargello, Florence, Italy. Courtesy of the Ministry of Culture. Photo: Bruno Bruchi

The show runs from Saturday, 11 February 2023 to 11 June 2023. Tickets are available online. Adult tickets are £20.00 per person and concessions are available.

An exhibition catalogue accompanying the show is available. The book explores Donatello's extraordinary creativity within the vibrant artistic and cultural context of fifteenth-century Italy, surveying his early connection with goldsmiths' work and the collaborative nature of his workshop and processes. It also reflects on Donatello's legacy, reviewing how his sculpture inspired subsequent generations in the later Renaissance and beyond.