"Behold Your Mother!": Meeting the Virgin Mary in D.C.

THE CATHOLIC WORLD REPORT
By Br. Gabriel Torretta, O.P.

Fra Filippo Lippi, Madonna and Child (Madonna col Bambino) (detail), ca. 1466–69; Provincia di Firenze, Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence (nmwa.org/exhibitions/picturing-mary-woman-mother-idea)

WASHINGTON, DC--- What do you suppose is the one verse of the Bible that has generated the most Christian art? For that honor, I’d suggest a different verse from John, this time towards the end of the Gospel: “Behold your mother!” (Jn 19:27). The National Museum of Women in the Arts in Washington, D.C. has spared no expense or effort to capture the depth and radiance of this artistic tradition with its new exhibit, entitled "Picturing Mary: Woman, Mother, Idea," running from December 5, 2014, to April 12, 2015. [link]