Many of the best-known artists of the Renaissance (Peter Paul Rubens, Al-brecht Durer and Jacopo da Pontormo among them) made portraits of Africans. But who were the men, women and children they portrayed? For centuries these sitters were largely unknownuntil a decade ago, when Joaneath Spicer, curator of Renaissance and Baroque art at the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore, determined to discover more. Even if she failed to put a name to each individual, she hoped to find out more about their lives and where they came from. Her perseverance has paid off. "Revealing the African Presence in Renaissance Europe", which originated at the Walters and is now at the Princeton University Art Museum until June 9th, is an illuminating and exciting show.
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