Exhibition Gallery: Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593)

The Milanese and the Hapsburgs couldn't get enough of him during his 16th century lifetime but, after his death, Giuseppe Arcimboldo's works languished unnoticed in some moldering closet of art history for over 300 years. Until, that is, the Surrealists came along, drew inspiration from his anthropomorphic paintings and touted the artist's name once again. Now, nearly another 100 years on, Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593) illustrates that his best-known works remain as fun, fresh and innovative as anything that's been done since, and were grounded in solid draftsmanship and compositional skills. The show includes 40 paintings, about 30 objets d'art (including weapons and armor), graphic works and one tapestry, all on loan from private and public collections worldwide.

Giuseppe Arcimboldo (1526-1593) was organized jointly by its two host venues: the Musée du Luxembourg, Paris (September 15, 2007-January 13, 2008) and the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (February 11-June 1, 2008).