In Renaissance palaces the word Studiolo referred to a small room where the prince could retire to read, meditate and contemplate carefully-chosen works of art. The Museum’s new series of exhibitions is entitled Studiolo as it aims to be a “museum within a museum”, offering the visitor a place for contemplation. Each of the exhibitions in the series, to be held on an annual basis, will comprise a selection of masterpieces from the permanent collections chosen by a great living artist.

The curator of the first exhibition is Avigdor Arikha, a painter as well as a brilliant writer, lecturer, exhibition curator and maker of documentaries on painting. Arikha has devoted himself to working from life, producing paintings and drawings based on first-hand observation. This practice provides the focus for his selection, which brings together eighteen masterpieces from the Museum’s collection, from Caravaggio’s Saint Catherine to a composition by Mondrian which acts as a counterpoint to the idea of painting from life.