Explore the life and artistic legacy of Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510), one of the defining painters of the Early Renaissance who very early developed specific style of depicting religious and secular themes.

With soft colors and graceful lines deeply religious Botticelli depicted Virgin Mary as the ethereal and sublime figure in dozens of paintings. Inspired by classical myths, like many Renaissance artists, he created some of the best known paintings in the world: The Birth of Venus and La Primavera. With sensual, seminude, elongated figures of mythological goddesses Botticelli created a new, idealized image of female beauty that reflects the Renaissance fascination with beauty, spirituality, and classical mythology.

This cultural program will explore his connection to the powerful artistic and intellectual circles of Florence, and the changing cultural climate that dramatically transformed his work later in life under the influence of Girolamo Savonarola.