Medieval art is part of Europe’s cultural identity. From the luxurious arts of the Migration Period to the creations of the late Gothic era, and from the Carolingian Renaissance to that of the Italian Quattrocento, the dazzling variety of the art of the Middle Ages continues to instil fascination in the public for a Europe in which it recognises a part of its identity.
In the second half of the 19th and the early 20th century increasing appreciation of the medieval world and its artistic creations led to the foundation of several museums dedicated to the art of the Middle Ages. It is the duty of these museums today to constantly renew knowledge and appreciation of and fascination for the Middle Ages through activities aimed at a broad public, especially at young visitors.
In 2011 the Museo Nazionale del Bargello (Florence, Italy), the Musée de Cluny – Musée national du Moyen Âge (Paris, France), the Museum Schnütgen (Cologne, Germany) and the Museu Episcopal de Vic (Catalonia, Spain) began to strengthen their relationships and to develop collaborative projects in order to share, with as many participating institutions as possible, the beauty and the European significance of the cultural heritage they preserve. The first fruits of this collaboration were the exhibition projects “Travel in the Middle Ages” (Paris, Florence, Vic, 2014–2016) and “The Magi” (Cologne, 2014–2015).
Several other renowned museums have since joined us: the Museum Catharijneconvent (Utrecht, Netherlands), the Museum Mayer van den Bergh (Antwerp, Belgium), the Palazzo Madama (Turin, Italy) and the Musée de l’Œuvre Notre-Dame (Strasbourg, France).
The Network will continue to develop collaborative projects in the future.