Picturing the Prodigal Son Meadows Museum Exhibit

February 20 - June 12, 2022Thirty objects – from small prints to Murillo paintings from the Meadows’ own collection, the largest collection of the artist’s work in the U.S. – tell the story of the prodigal son, one of the most well-known biblical parables. In addition to the centerpiece narrative series, the exhibition includes the only other finished paintings Murillo made on the subject, as well as printed source material that likely influenced the artist.Murillo: Picturing the Prodigal Son presents Murillo’s work in a new light; not only was the exhibition inspired by the National Gallery of Ireland’s recent restoration of the series, which included cleaning and extensive technical analysis, but visitors to the exhibition will also be the first in the world to see two other paintings that have recently undergone significant conservation and cleaning: The Return of the Prodigal Son (1667/70) from the collection of the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, and the Meadows’s own Jacob Laying the Peeled Rods before the Flocks of Laban (c. 1665).The removal of aged, yellowed varnish from all of these paintings has made it possible to better appreciate the freshness and color of Murillo’s brushwork, in addition to his skill at staging and visualizing narrative.