My new book My Life with Berti Spranger seems to fit a new direction on the art and literati scene. A recent article in the New York Times focuses on the trend to liberate a large number of naughty masterpieces from their stigma and present them in an impressive exhibition at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Mass. Painted for and collected by the wealthiest and most powerful patrons, such as Rudof II Habsburg, the master of Bartholomaus Spranger, these works bear the names of Titian, Rubens, Tintoretto, Velázquez, and other grand masters. For centuries, tales of nude gods and goddesses pleased their collectors long before Playboy Magazine and other venues began to cater to more modern sets of eyes and mindsets.
I’m not sure if Rubens’ Three Graces from the Prado is to be seen in Williamstown, but the artist’s Fortuna is one of a large group in “Splendor, Myth, and Vision: Nudes From the Prado,” an exhibition which focuses on important art patrons like Philip II, Rudolf’s uncle, and Philip’s grandson, Philip IV. Many of these masterpieces have never left Europe, so mark your calendar to enjoy them from June 12-October 10, 2016 at the Clark Art Institute. Be ready for a lot of titillating flesh and a change of scenery!