Hans Memling. The Crucifixion

On the occasion of Lent and Easter 2026, the Milan Diocesan Museum presents a unique exhibition dedicated to The Crucifixion by Hans Memling, masterpiece of the Flemish Renaissance, housed at the City Museum of Palazzo Chiericati in Vicenza. The work, datable between 1467 and 1470, was originally the central panel of a triptych and is here the protagonist of a dialogue with the present.

Along a route realised in collaboration with Testori House, Memling's table is compared to the works of four contemporary artists: Stefano Arienti, Matthew Fate, Julia Krahn e Danilo Sciorilli. Their creations, made especially for this occasion, establish a profound relationship between the silent pain of the sacred scene and the anxieties of the contemporary world.

Memling's composition is distinguished by the’visual balance, the symbolic depth and one uniform light which increases its contemplative intensity. The mourners - St John the Evangelist, the Virgin, Mary Magdalene, St John the Baptist and St Bernard of Clairvaux - stand at the foot of the cross with a solemnity that invites the inner meditation.

Contemporary works range from painting, photography, sculpture, installation and video art, expanding the echo of the Crucifixion to the present dimension. From easel-sculpture of Fate, to the video performance by Sciorilli, each intervention gives a personal and spiritual insight into the theme of the cross and sacrifice.