Mary Vaccaro, Distinguished University Professor, Art and Art History, University of Texas, Arlington
Among the pictures once owned by the powerful Farnese family that are today in the Museo di Capodimonte is a curious portrayal of three men with animals. The hirsute man at the center of the composition can be convincingly identified as Arrigo Gonzalez, part of a large family with the rare genetic condition of hypertrichosis in the household of Duke Ranuccio Farnese of Parma. This lecture explores how Arrigo and other hairy members of his family—now generally assumed to have been little more than exotic playthings—enjoyed a surprising degree of status and agency in the Farnese court.
These free lectures, part of a continuing series, address a range of topics relating to the appreciation and interpretation of art.
To request an accessibility accommodation for a Kimbell program, please email us as far in advance as possible.
