Boticelli comes to Valencia

With his long hair and severe gaze, the bust of the Greek-born poet and humanist will captivate visitors to the second largest art museum in the country, transporting them back to 15th-century Florence, where he lived under the protection of the Medici family and surrounded by such artists as Botticelli, who immortalized him. To complete the journey back in time, the same gallery also boasts other Gothic and early Renaissance treasures, including Virgin Mary and Child with Saint Elizabeth and Saint John the Baptist, attributed to Italian artist Tomás Peliguet, and the anonymous early 16th-century Virgin Mary and Child, which also demonstrate the importance of Florence and Tuscany in that period. 

The Portrait of Michele Marullo Tarcaniota has been listed as a Property of Cultural Interest and was on display at the Prado Museum in Madrid between 2004 and 2017, before travelling to temporary exhibitions at other major museums around the world, including the Metropolitan Museum in New York and Berlin's Bode-Museum. Valencia now has the honour of becoming its new home. 

At the Museum of Fine Arts, Botticelli is in good company. Spain's second largest art museum houses works by such prestigious artists as Velázquez, Goya, Murillo, Andrea del Sarto and Van Dyck, as well as galleries devoted to Joaquín Sorolla and other painters and sculptors of the Valencian School, including Pinazo and Benlliure. The historic building that once held the former San Pío V Seminary presents an artistic journey from the 15th to the 19th century. Now, the presence of one of the leading Renaissance artists gives it even greater prominence, making the museum a must-see for all art lovers.