NAPLES, FL (PNAN) – As Naples Art Institute opens their season on Saturday, November 12, 2022 with “M.C. Escher: Reality and Illusion” which showcases 150 masterworks from the largest private traveling collection in the world by 20th century Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher (1898-1972).
The exhibition includes early figure drawings, lesser-known book illustrations, detailed Italian landscapes, the “tessellations” for which he became famous, and several examples of his signature architectural fantasies in which stairways seem to go both up and down.
“Escher was an enigmatic and pioneering artist who boldly explored the world of mind-bending, confounding, illusionary art work that defies logic, but is rooted in mathematics,” said Executive Director and Chief Curator of Naples Art Institute, Frank Verpoorten
The artist used his work to challenge perspectives, deftly exploring the relationships between art and science, reality and illusion, chaos and order, and logic and absurdity.
“Are you really sure that a floor can’t also be a ceiling?” asked Escher. “Are you definitely convinced that you will be on a higher plane when you walk up a staircase?” Such musings led to unbelievable qualities in his spatial illusions and have lent his imagery an enduring place in pop culture iconography.
“As the lender of these M.C. Escher masterpieces, it gives me great joy to see them on display in Naples for the first time ever,” said Paul Firos, founder of the Herakleidon Museum in Athens, Greece. “I have long loved M.C. Escher for his attention to detail and mathematical principles. I look forward to sharing these Escher treasures at Naples Art Institute, and I hope guests are as fascinated as I am by the depth and beauty of the Escher experience.”
Remaining on view through Sunday, February 12, 2023, for more information see www.naplesart.org.