Visions of Dante

The Cornell Johnson Museum of Art’s “Visions of Dante” exhibition was designed to mark the 700th anniversary of the death of Dante Alighieri (1265–1321), the greatest poet of the Italian language. The exhibition examines Dante’s complex vision of the afterlife in his “Divine Comedy” from a range of artistic viewpoints, both old and new.

Now, go inside the “Visions of Dante” exhibition with co-curators Laurent Ferri and Andrew Weislogel for a guided tour. Choosing selected objects, Dr. Ferri and Dr. Weislogel will orient you to the history of Cornell’s Dante collection and explain the poet’s enduring presence in literary and cultural history. From rare illustrated editions, to woodcuts, to mixed media, our curators take you on a visual journey through artistic responses to the “Divine Comedy” — from the Renaissance to the present day.

Agenda

9:30-10:30 AM ET: Visualizing Dante in the 16th Century: An Amateur’s Art (Rhoda Eitel-Porter)

10:45-11:45 AM ET: From Etruria to the New World: Cornell’s Copy of the Editio Princeps of Dante’s “Divine Comedy,” Between Book History, Bibliophilia, and Exegesis (Natale Vacalebre)

1:00-1:45 PM ET: Exhibition Tour (curators Laurent Ferri and Andrew Weislogel)

2:00-3:00 PM ET: Meeting Dante (artist Sandow Birk)

3:15-4:15 PM ET: A Dante Afterlife: LeRoi Jones’s “System of Dante’s Hell” and Derek Walcott’s “Omeros” (Maryemma Graham)