I was thrilled to learn yesterday that a huge Raphael exhibition called Sublime Poetry just started at the Met in NYC and is on through June 28, 2026! If you have any interest in Raphael, Renaissance masters, Italy, or just great art, I urge you to go. I will be in New York in early May and will clearly have to shift my plans around to ensure I fit this in.
Why do I love Raphael so much? Well, he’s kind of like an old boyfriend. The Sidewalk Artist, my first book, coauthored with Janice Kirk and published in 2006, is all about him. Wow – I just realized it’s the 20-year anniversary of that little novel that could. It’s a lovely strange little book that grew organically out of our emerging coauthorship. Happily most readers seem to love its fantastical nature and exploration of the main character, Raphael – handsome, charismatic, graceful, beloved by all, aching for beauty, and an artist genius who died much, much too young.
In fact, this Friday is Good Friday, the day upon which Raphael died of a fever at age 37 in 1520 (it is also his birth day in 1483). People wailed on the street upon learning of his demise; the pope himself gave him the last rites. Oh, the art that he may have created!
In 2020, in the leadup to the 500th anniversary of his death, frustrated by a dearth of information about it, I created a webpage dedicated to Raphael@500. Sadly, all of the events around that anniversary were cancelled due to the rapid spread of Covid, especially in April of that year, especially in Italy.
While I did travel to Rome a few years ago and enjoyed a Raphael pilgrimage while there, I think this is part of the reason I’m so excited about this Raphael retrospective at the Met and the opportunity to see it. It will be my way to pay further tribute and homage to the Renaissance master whom I feel like I know so very well.
Raphael, may you continue to rest in peace and continue to inspire.
Gina Buonaguro 