Murillo: From Heaven to Earth

A revealing exploration of Bartolome Esteban Murillo’s genre paintings and the cultural significance of his depictions of ordinary people

Bartolome Esteban Murillo (1617-1682) is best known for his religious subject matter, yet some of his most iconic works depict secular themes. Celebrating Murillo’s genre paintings and shedding new light on the innovative portrayals of beggars, street urchins, and flower girls in the artist’s culturally rich narratives of youth and age, romance and seduction, and faith and charity, this generously illustrated volume features insightful essays that address Murillo’s art through the lenses of antiquity, northern culture, portraiture, and diversity in the city of Seville. The catalogue also contains detailed commentaries on the more than fifty works included in the exhibition, further exploring these paintings’ complex meanings to reveal their importance in their own time and suggest their relevance in our own.