A Brush With Greatness

This month, London’s National Gallery unveils its highly anticipated Raphael exhibition – an incredible collection of paintings, drawings, and more assembled for the first time under one roof. Bruce Scott reflects on the famed artist’s brief but brilliant career, and the priceless legacy he left behind.

At the moment the art world is going crazy for NFTs, many of which are increasing in value at a dizzying rate (as evidenced by the headline-grabbing price tags attached to them). At the opposite end of the art world, however, there exists a finite amount of paintings, sculptures, and precious objects to which the term “priceless” has aptly been applied.

No singular value can be put on these tangible historic masterpieces, and unlike NFTs, they are for the most part available to all through the generosity of the world’s most prestigious museums. This month, an incredible and largest-ever selection of undeniably priceless art will be on display when London’s National Gallery finally unveils its long-awaited Raphael retrospective.

Scheduled to run from April 9 to July 31, The Credit Suisse Exhibition: Raphael will bring together numerous pieces from around the globe, with the aim of exploring this Renaissance master’s complete career; examining not only his celebrated paintings and drawings, but also his work in architecture, poetry, and designs for sculpture, tapestry and prints. It’s an unprecedented opportunity to see the full breadth of this unique artist’s skill, creativity and ingenuity, while also shining a spotlight on those who influenced Raphael, and those he himself later influenced.