Is Bill Viola the True Heir of Michelangelo? A Royal Academy Show Suggests He Is
ARTNET NEWS
By Naomi Rea
The Royal Academy of Arts in London, one of the city’s most esteemed institutions, is pairing a group of exquisite late drawings by Michelangelo with—and you’re reading this correctly—videos by the polarizing video artist Bill Viola. It’s the first time the academy has staged a significant exhibition of video art, and it puts Viola, known for his “sacred” video installations, in a direct line of succession from the universally acclaimed Renaissance Old Master. Fourteen of Michelangelo’s drawings, including The Risen Christ (around 1532), are juxtaposed with 12 of Viola’s video installations spanning 1977 to 2013. “Bill Viola/Michelangelo: Life Death Rebirth” is on view January 26 through March 31, 2019, at the Royal Academy in London. [More]
By Naomi Rea
The Royal Academy of Arts in London, one of the city’s most esteemed institutions, is pairing a group of exquisite late drawings by Michelangelo with—and you’re reading this correctly—videos by the polarizing video artist Bill Viola. It’s the first time the academy has staged a significant exhibition of video art, and it puts Viola, known for his “sacred” video installations, in a direct line of succession from the universally acclaimed Renaissance Old Master. Fourteen of Michelangelo’s drawings, including The Risen Christ (around 1532), are juxtaposed with 12 of Viola’s video installations spanning 1977 to 2013. “Bill Viola/Michelangelo: Life Death Rebirth” is on view January 26 through March 31, 2019, at the Royal Academy in London. [More]