Event—Public Programming

The Art of Renaissance Warfare

In this virtual conversation, Jonathan Tavares of the Art Institute of Chicago and Suzanne Karr Schmidt of the Newberry will discuss the importance of Renaissance-era innovations in military technology.

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Watch a recording of this program.

The development of gunpowder, stirrups, and new techniques for polishing armor changed the face of war in sixteenth-century Europe. In this virtual conversation, Jonathan Tavares of the Art Institute of Chicago and Suzanne Karr Schmidt of the Newberry will discuss the importance of Renaissance-era innovations in military technology by focusing on a model cannon, pair of stirrups, and collection of armor on loan from the Art Institute for the Renaissance Invention exhibition currently on view at the Newberry.

About the Speakers:

Jonathan Tavares is Associate Curator of Arms, Armor and European Decorative Arts before 1700 in the Department of European Decorative Arts at the Art Institute of Chicago. He received his PhD in the history of art from Bard Graduate Center. He is co-curator of the Saints and Heroes installation of 700 art objects from 1200-1600 in the Deering Family Galleries of Medieval and Renaissance Art, Arms, and Armor at the Art Institute.

Suzanne Karr Schmidt is the George Amos Poole III Curator of Rare Books and Manuscripts at the Newberry. Previously, she was Assistant Curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the Art Institute of Chicago. Suzanne received her PhD in the history of art from Yale University. Co-curator of Landsknechte: Foot Soldiers of Fashion with Jonathan at the Art Institute in 2016, she and Lia Markey (Director of the Center for Renaissance Studies at the Newberry) co-curated Renaissance Invention: Stradanus's Nova Reperta, which is on view this fall.

This event is sponsored by the Kress Foundation, and is being held in conjunction with the Newberry's fall exhibition, Renaissance Invention: Stradanus's Nova Reperta. Want to engage further with Renaissance Invention? Learn about all the programs and digital resources developed as part of the exhibition.

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