The Etrillard Foundation is a patron of the exhibition “The Seduction of Color. Andrea Solario and the Renaissance between Italy and France” at the Museo Poldi Pezzoli in Milan.
Presented from March 26 to June 30, 2025, this exhibition invites visitors to rediscover the genius of the Lombard Renaissance master Andrea Solario (1465-1524), on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death. The Museo Poldi Pezzoli will host exceptional works from prestigious international collections, with the scientific collaboration of the Louvre Museum.
Andrea Solario, “Rest on the Flight into Egypt”, 1515, Milan, Museo Poldi Pezzoli (detail)
The exhibition brings together for the first time a selection of approximately 36 works from prestigious collections in Italy, France, and England.
These masterpieces reveal the technical mastery and stylistic evolution of an artist influenced by great masters such as Giovanni Bellini, Antonello da Messina, and Leonardo da Vinci.
Andrea Solario, “Portrait of Charles d'Amboise, Marshal of France, Governor of Milan in 1500 and Patron of Painters”, circa 1510-1511, Paris, Louvre Museum, © GrandPalaisRmn (Louvre Museum) / Franck Raux (detail)
This project highlights the importance of color in Solario’s art, and reveals how his style was nourished by Franco-Italian cultural interaction.
The Museo Poldi Pezzoli conducted important scientific analyses to better understand the master’s pigments, materials, and techniques. The paintings were subjected to X-rays, reflectography, and infrared analyses that revealed previously unknown details. These studies were compared with those conducted by the Center for Research and Restoration of the Museums of France, offering new interpretations on the use of chiaroscuro and the enameled colors typical of the artist.
Concurrently, six works were restored: five in Milan, including the Portrait of a Lady at the Castello Sforzesco, and one at the Louvre, where the Madonna of the Green Cushion regained its original luminosity.
Andrea Solario, “Madonna Nursing the Child (Madonna of the Green Cushion)”, circa 1510, Paris, Louvre Museum © GrandPalaisRmn (Louvre Museum) / Michel Urtado (detail)
The Museo Poldi Pezzoli, opened in 1881, was the home of Gian Giacomo Poldi Pezzoli (1822-1879), an impassioned collector of paintings, sculptures, carpets, lace, arms and armor, and jewelry. An extraordinary collection enriched over time by major acquisitions and donations.
The museum houses masterpieces by Pollaiuolo, Mantegna, Botticelli, Raphael, Piero della Francesca, Tiepolo, Canaletto, and Hayez. In addition, it preserves astonishing collections of Murano glass, porcelain, sundials, and clocks.
The Museo Poldi Pezzoli is thus one of the most renowned house-museums, firmly rooted in the Milanese cultural landscape.