A treasure trove in the collection of the Unterlinden Museum, the altarpiece of Issenheim is one of the museum's most admired works. This polyptych composed of painted panels and a sculpted case presents episodes from the lives of Christ and Saint Anthony.
Between 1512 and 1516, the artists Nicolas de Haguenau (for the sculpted part) and Grünewald (for the painted panels) created the famous altarpiece for the Antonine Commandery of Issenheim, a village located about twenty kilometres from Colmar. This polyptych, which adorned the high altar of the church of the convent of Issenheim before the Revolution, was commissioned by one of the superiors of the order, Guy Guers, preceptor of the commandery from 1490 to 1516.
From 2018 to 2022, the altarpiece of Issenheim underwent a restoration on an unprecedented scale. After more than four years of restoration, beyond the precautionary measures and the restored brilliance of the work, the public can admire the original coherence, particularly chromatic, present between the painted panels and the sculptures of the altarpiece of Issenheim.
Visitors can discover surprising new details previously hidden by varnishes or repaints: a thick black sky now midnight blue, streaked with grey and black clouds, the ample hair that is redrawn on Mary Magdalene's back, a tear that can be guessed on the cheek of the mother of Christ, the rediscovered subtlety of the complexions of the sculptures... so many reasons to go to Colmar to (re)discover this masterpiece and its newfound youth.
128 pages / 80 illustrations
Éditions Rmn-Grand Palais in partnership with the Unterlinden Museum.
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