active from 1278 -1318 · Sienese Gothic and birth of a new story

Radiant gold, supple lines, tender faces and precise narration make Duccio the founder of the great Sienese school.

Duccio di Buoninsegna was documented in Siena as early as 1278 and probably died there in 1318. His training remains unknown, but his work reveals a knowledge of Byzantine tradition, Tuscan painting and Gothic elegance from the north. He transforms these legacies through a more sensitive observation of emotions, gestures and space. The Madonna Rucellai, commissioned in 1285 for Florence, already affirms the flexibility of her draperies and the delicacy of her angels. Her masterpiece is the Maestà intended for the high altar of Siena Cathedral. Completed in 1311 and carried in procession to the Duomo, this immense painted structure presented on the front the Virgin in majesty surrounded of saints and angels, and on the back a vast cycle of the life and Passion of Christ. Duccio articulates dozens of episodes with remarkable narrative clarity. Gold remains the sign of the sacred, but architecture, landscapes, views and movements open the image to a new humanity. His workshop influences Simone Martini, the Lorenzetti brothers and several generations of Sienese painters. His workshop influences Simone Martini, the Lorenzetti brothers and several generations of Sienese painters. The "Duccio di Buoninsegna" selection notably compares The Annunciation and Entry into Jerusalem. His reading favors light.

Duccio retains the gold of the icon but introduces human time: a look exchanged, an outstretched hand and a space traveled give birth to the story.