Charlotte, NC
MINT MUSEUM UPTOWN | “Caravaggio in Charlotte” In-Person Lecture Tour
May 29, 2026
1 hour 30 minutes
$285.00
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR BUNDLE
“Exclusive Webinars in September”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero and special guests Dr. Balbina Y. Hwang, Dr. Joseph Luzzi, and Fred Kudjo Kuwornu
Dates & Times:
Thursday, September 3, 10, 17 & 24, 2026
2:00 – 3:00pm ET | 11:00am – 12:00pm PT |
7:00 – 8:00pm London
EXCLUSIVE WEBINARS | “Exclusive Webinars in September”
Each webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.
Please note:
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “The Mystery of Van Dyck and the Genoese House of Balbi”
Presented by Dr. Balbina Y. Hwang
In Gallery 42 at the Smithsonian’s National Gallery in D.C. is a majestic full-length portrait of a young Marchesa Balbi, who sits regally in green and gold brocade robes, gazing directly at the viewer with an imposing yet disarming warmth. Unidentified beyond her title, we know little about her other than that she was a member of the House of Balbi, a prominent family of the Genoese aristocracy, and that she was painted c. 1623 by Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), a Flemish artist of the Baroque period, perhaps best known as the leading painter of the English court. So how did Van Dyck of Flanders come to be a prolific artistic chronicler and portraitist of one of the most powerful and influential noble families in Genoa? What does this painting, and its companion portraits in Gallery 42 by Van Dyck and his Flemish compatriot Rubens, reveal about the intriguing link between two crucial port-cities of Europe at the time: Genoa and Antwerp; and the important role of patronage that noble houses such as the Balbi family played in the flourishing of arts and culture in Europe in the post-Renaissance era? Join us for this webinar that explores these connections and unravels the mystery surrounding this impressive painting’s origins, and reveals much about history of the magnificent city of Genoa.
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Dante’s Divine Comedy: A Biography”
Presented by Dr. Joseph Luzzi
Written during his exile from Florence in the early 1300s, Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy describes the poet’s travels through hell, purgatory, and paradise, exploring the state of the human soul after death. His poema sacro, sacred poem, profoundly influenced Renaissance writers and artists such as Giovanni Boccaccio and Sandro Botticelli and was venerated by modern critics including Erich Auerbach and Harold Bloom. Dante’s “Divine Comedy” narrates the remarkable reception of Dante’s masterpiece, one of the most consequential religious books ever written.
In this presentation, Joseph Luzzi traces the many afterlives of Dante’s epic poem, showing how it left its mark on the work of such legendary authors as John Milton, Mary Shelley, and James Joyce while serving as a source of inspiration for writers like Primo Levi and Antonio Gramsci as they faced the most extreme forms of political oppression. He charts how the dialogue between religious and secular ideas in The Divine Comedy has shaped issues ranging from changing conceptions of women’s identity and debates about censorship to the role of canonical literature in popular culture.
An intimate portrait of a work that has challenged and inspired generations of readers, Dante’s “Divine Comedy” reveals how Dante’s strikingly original and controversial vision of the afterlife can help us define our spiritual beliefs, better understand ourselves, and navigate the complexities of modern life.
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Blackness in Renaissance Art: Beyond the Margins”
Presented by Fred Kudjo Kuwornu
How was Blackness seen, represented, and lived in Renaissance Europe? Too often relegated to the margins of art history, the presence of Black Africans – as saints, servants, diplomats, and rulers – is woven into some of the period’s most iconic artworks. This webinar draws directly from the filmmaking and research of Afro-Italian artist and filmmaker Fred Kudjo Kuwornu, creator of We Were Here: The Untold History of Black Africans in Renaissance Europe exhibited at the 60th Edition of The Venice Biennale Art (2024) . Through a 45-minute presentation-style talk, Kuworn will uncover hidden figures, challenge traditional iconographic readings, and ask what “Blackness” truly meant within Renaissance society – not only in paintings and sculptures, but also in the social and cultural fabric of the time. He will also introduce recent perspectives from independent visual artists who brought these questions to the 60th Venice Biennale, offering a decolonized and urgently relevant re-reading of the Renaissance canon. This is a unique opportunity to move beyond the margins and rediscover European art history through a Black gaze.
EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “The Rat Pack of the Italian Renaissance: Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Masaccio”
Presented by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero
Few moments in history have witnessed the extraordinary artistic production that occurred in Florence, Italy, in the first half of the 15th century. Often celebrated as “the cradle of the Renaissance,” Florence was indeed the place where artists first began to revive the culture of the ancient Greeks and Romans. Three of those artists are credited with first introducing what we today define as Renaissance art in their respective fields – Donatello in sculpture, Brunelleschi in architecture, and Masaccio in painting. Yet, beyond their artistic prowess, these artists also shared an extraordinary friendship, which often involved artistic collaboration, but also practical jokes, humorous situations, and rivalry with contemporary artists. The relationship between Donatello, Brunelleschi, and Masaccio represents one of those rare moments of artistic altruism in the history of art. Instead of competing with each other – e.g., Leonardo vs. Michelangelo or Bernini vs. Borromini – the threesome that I like to call the “Ratpack of the Renaissance” would freely share their knowledge, vision, and inspiration with each other and change the course of history.
