During the Renaissance, Italian ports served as important points of trade with the Middle East, and merchants throughout Europe were eager to purchase the latest goods influenced by these exotic wares. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art invites you to learn all about it at their latest exhibit, Worldly Luxuries: Repetition in Renaissance Textiles, this Thursday beginning at 10:00 a.m.
Worldly Luxuries: Repetition in Renaissance Textiles displays Italian, French and Spanish textiles influenced by this Middle Eastern trade and aesthetic tradition, spanning the 1400s to 1600s. Woven of sumptuous silk and exhibiting varied weaving techniques and ornamentation, these textiles were costly luxury goods and highly prized by the wealthy merchant classes.
Some of the most popular, although still very expensive, textiles during the Renaissance were monochromatic velvets with repeating patterns used for upholstery, draperies, and garments. These examples demonstrate the variety of cut pile designs and printing techniques used for Renaissance textile production.
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art arose from the instincts and ambitions of two private individuals who shared the dream of providing a public art museum for Kansas City and the surrounding region. William Rockhill Nelson, the founder of The Kansas City Star, was convinced that for a city to be truly civilized, art and culture were necessities. When he died in 1915, the bulk of his estate was used to establish the William Rockhill Nelson Trust for the purchase of works of art. Kansas City school teacher Mary McAfee Atkins had similar aspirations. She provided the city with approximately one-third of her million-dollar estate to purchase the land for a public art museum.
The Nelson estate was combined with Mary Atkins’ legacy to build an art museum for the people of Kansas City. The William Rockhill Nelson Gallery of Art and the Mary Atkins Museum of Fine Arts opened to the public Dec. 11, 1933. Today, the Nelson-Atkins maintains collections of more than 35,000 works of art and welcomes 500,000 visitors a year.
Be sure to check out this stimulating exhibit while it’s open to the public! Admission is free. For additional information, please visit www.nelson-atkins.org or call 816-751-1278.
At Mission 106 Apartments in Leawood, Kansas, we encourage our residents to discover all the wonderful happenings in our city, whether it’d be a concert, exhibit, or convention. Set aside some time to attend this upcoming event in our area!
Event Time/Date:
Thursday, February 27, 2020—10:00 AM
Event Venue Location:
The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art
4525 Oak Street
Kansas City, Missouri 64111