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St. John on Patmos Writing Down his Visions of the Apocalypse

Visions of the End

Dates: January 31–May 10, 2020

Visions of the End explores the Apocalypse through captivating artworks inspired by the writings of John of Patmos, who wrote the Book of Revelation around 100 C.E.

The exhibition features twenty-six pieces of medieval and Renaissance art from some of the country’s finest collecting institutions, including the Free Library of Philadelphia, the Glencairn Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Morgan Library and Museum, the National Gallery of Art, and the Walters Art Museum, offering visitors a rare chance to explore medieval and Renaissance art of the Apocalypse in works never before displayed in Tennessee.

Recoiling from frightful threats and aspiring for eternal salvation, medieval and Renaissance artists produced carvings, metalwork, woodcuts, stained glass windows, and illuminated manuscripts that matched fears about the final days with promises of renewal.

In coordination with the exhibition, UT’s College of Arts and Sciences has organized a comprehensive “apocalypse semester” that includes specialized courses, lectures, and events for community members. The interdisciplinary nature of Visions of the End and its many collaborative events reflects how apocalypse has historically been understood.


Virtual Tour with Transcript


Sponsors

This exhibition is made possible with generous support from:

Aletha & Clayton Brodine Endowment
The Marco Institute for Medieval and Renaissance Studies
The Samuel H. Kress Foundation
Roswitha Haas
Carla & Anthony Bewley
The Center for Global Engagement
The Office of Research and Engagement, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Gordon Burghardt & Sandra Twardosz


Curated by Gregor Kalas, Associate Professor, University of Tennessee School of Architecture, and Jay Rubenstein, Professor of History, Department of History, University of Southern California.

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