Art News

Baroque Painted Sculptures Joined for the First Time by Great Spanish Religious Painting

WASHINGTON, DC (AP).- Depictions of Jesus Christ’s wounds and suffering on the cross are on rare display at the National Gallery of Art as the museum presents its first comparison of painting and sculpture from the Roman Catholic Church. Eleven paintings by Diego Velazquez, Francisco de Zurbaran and others will be displayed Sunday for the first time alongside 11 hyper-realistic painted wood sculptures from the 17th century in “The Sacred Made Real.” “This interaction between painting and sculpture led to some really spectacular pictures,” said curator Xavier Bray of London’s National Gallery, who coordinated the exhibit. It took several years for him to negotiate with churches and monasteries to borrow some of the best examples of Spain’s religious sculpture.