Arcimboldo Exhibit at National Gallery of Art in Washington DC

The Arcimboldo exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC proves it's okay to play with your food. See 16 of his bizarre composite heads made from vegetables and other objects. These are some highlights from the Arcimboldo show and how to plan your visit in Washington DC or online.

Highlights From the Arcimboldo Exhibit at the National Gallery in Washington DC:
Arcimboldo (1526-1593) is best known for his composite heads made while he was court painter to the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian II and his son and successor Rudolf II. Fashioned from vegetables, fruit, branches, animals and other objects, these faces can be appreciated as scherzi (jokes), political allegories, and serious studies of botany, horticulture and zoology. Only about 20 of these paintings exist today and the National Gallery of Art just bought one. Four Seasons in One Head looks funny with its tree trunk face and cherry ears, but it's also a political statement that the Habsburg empire was eternal and harmonious like the four seasons and the four elements.

The genius of these paintings as nature studies is emphasized by the 32 additional works that surround them including drawings by Leonardo and Durer and several illustrated books and manuscripts. This was the 16th century age of exploration with its scientific study of nature, and Arcimboldo was indebted to the physiognomic and nature studies of his predecessors and contemporaries. In turn, he exerted his own influence on the surrealists who helped to revive his reputation in the 1930s. The fascination with oddities continues with a 15 foot fiberglass sculpture based on Arcimboldo's Winter installed at the entrance to the exhibit and done by artist and filmmaker Philip Haas.

Visitor Information for Seeing the Arcimboldo Exhibition in Washington DC:
The National Gallery of Art on the National Mall in Washington DC is open 7 days a week. Admission is always free. Several special programs are offered in conjunction with the Arcimboldo show including a 30 minute film narrated by Isabella Rossellini. For kids 9 to 11, there's Fantastical Faces on several Saturdays where they can make their own collage.

Online Resources for the Arcimboldo Exhibit at the National Gallery of Art:
If you're visiting the show online, you can see the exhibition brochure and watch a 14-minute video. The film narrated by Isabella Rosellini will also be shown on WETA television.

The Arcimboldo exhibit at the National Gallery of Art in Washington DC runs through January 9, 2011.