Prepare to be transported to one of the greatest artistic periods in history during the exclusive world premiere of Italian Renaissance Alive, created by Grande Experiences and hosted on the grounds of Biltmore in Asheville, N.C. Vivid large-scale displays set to a powerful operatic score celebrate Italian culture, architecture, sculpture, and literature spanning the Renaissance period of the 14th to 17th centuries. The exhibition runs March 3, 2023, through Jan. 7, 2024.
Using large-scale projections of great beauty and detail, hundreds of masterpieces from some of the world’s most revered Italian artists and sculptors surround visitors in the brilliance of one of the greatest artistic periods in history.
Light, color, sound and fragrance are choreographed in this multi-sensory experience to explore Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel, Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, Boticelli’s The Birth of Venus, and other works by Raphael, Caravaggio, Titian, and Veronese among others. An Italian operatic score will accompany the immersive visuals, including the musical works of Puccini and Verdi.
The Vanderbilts’ love of Italy and fine art
Italy was a special place for George Vanderbilt, founder of Biltmore. He and his wife, Edith, spent six weeks near Stresa in the Lake District of Italy after their Parisian wedding in spring of 1898. Having visited Milan, Italy in 1880, he was eager to share his love of Italy and its great works of art with his new bride.
During Italian Renaissance Alive, visitors will learn more about George Vanderbilt’s interest in the arts as well as his support of prominent artists of his time. Several family portraits that hang in Biltmore House today represent his patronage, including works he commissioned by John Singer Sargent and James McNeill Whistler.
