Pictured: Brescia knight on horseback in tournament armor with thrusting sword, ca. 1550. Steel, wood, leather, and cloth, 57 1/8 x 82 5/8 x 35 3/8 in. (145 x 210 x 90 cm). Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples

Date/Time

June 16, 2024 to September 15, 2024

Location

Kimbell Art Museum View map
3333 Camp Bowie Boulevard,
Fort Worth, TX, 76107

Additional Information

  • Website:
  • Line/Box Office Phone: 817/332-8451
  • Cost: $18 adults; $16 seniors and students with ID; $14 children age 6–11. Admission is half-price all day on Tuesdays and after 5pm on Fridays.
  • Ages: All ages

Description

The Kimbell Art Museum will debut Art and War in the Renaissance: The Battle of Pavia Tapestries from June 16 through September 15. Seven lavish tapestries depict the battle of Pavia, commemorating Holy Roman Emperor Charles V’s decisive victory over French King Francis I, which was a pivotal point in the Italian Wars almost five hundred years ago.

The tapestries are monumental in scale—each measuring about twenty-eight feet wide and fourteen feet high—drawing viewers into the world of Renaissance history, military technology, and fashion.

Narrative depictions of key moments from the battle are packed with near life-size figures and horses in full battle regalia, set within the scenography of the battlefield and countryside outside the besieged northern Italian city of Pavia. Visitors will be fully immersed within these seven, splendid scenes—just as visitors to the court of Charles V would have been when the tapestries were first unveiled in 1531.

After a careful restoration, which has returned them to their original splendor, the entire cycle of seven tapestries is being presented in the United States for the first time. Alongside the tapestries, impressive examples of precious arms and armor from the period evoke the human experience of war in the Renaissance.

The exhibition is organized by the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte and The Museum Box in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum, the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, and The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

Enhancing the visitor’s understanding and enjoyment of the woven depictions of battle, the exhibition will include a selection of arms and armor from Capodimonte’s renowned Farnese Armory.

Planning your next visit? Come during the Kimbell Kids Drop-In Studios on Saturdays or the Pictures & Pages events on select Tuesdays.

Find more family fun events every day of the week at dfwchild.com/calendar.

RELATED: Our Favorite Kid-Friendly Museums in Dallas-Fort Worth

Pictured above: Brescia knight on horseback in tournament armor with thrusting sword, ca. 1550. Steel, wood, leather, and cloth, 57 1/8 x 82 5/8 x 35 3/8 in. (145 x 210 x 90 cm). Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, Naples