Thaddaeus Ropac Announces Two-Part Exhibition Exploring Tarot's Influence on Art from Renaissance to Present
Thaddaeus Ropac is presenting a double-gallery exhibition conceived in two parts that explores the origins of Tarot in Renaissance Italy and its relevance as inspiration for artists in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. The first part, Renaissance Symbols, examines the three earliest surviving decks from the fifteenth century commissioned by the Dukes of Milan, the court culture from which the cards emerged, and the development of their imagery into later divination practices. The second part, Modern Visions, traces the influence of the 1909 Rider-Waite-Smith deck conceived by Arthur Edward Waite and illustrated by Pamela Colman Smith, along with its adoption by artists including Ani Banisadr.
The Signal
The exhibition positions Tarot as an alternative framework that allowed artists to move beyond modernist constraints and explore imaginative possibilities. For collectors and curators, the show underscores how historical visual systems continue to shape contemporary practice and signals Thaddaeus Ropac's strategy of linking Renaissance source material to living artists. This approach may inform acquisition decisions around works that engage symbolic or esoteric traditions.
- Artists: Ani Banisadr
- People: Arthur Edward Waite, Pamela Colman Smith
- Galleries: Thaddaeus Ropac
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