Art In Dialogue: Duccio | Caro

A work by the late British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro functions as a gateway to re-examining Duccio's 'Annunciation'

'Art in Dialogue: Duccio | Caro' is a creative interaction of two works of art made almost 700 years apart: The Annunciation by the Sienese painter Duccio (active 1278–1319) and ‘Duccio Variation No. 3’, one of seven sculptures that the British sculptor Sir Anthony Caro (1924–2013) made in response to Duccio’s painting. This is the first time that this painting and sculpture have been seen together.

Caro’s decision to make work in relation to the 'Annunciation' – part of Duccio’s great double-sided altarpiece for the high altar of Siena Cathedral – was the result of an invitation from the National Gallery in 1999.

With its spatial and architectural uncertainties the 'Annunciation’ has many affinities with Caro’s preoccupations. Caro was deeply moved by Duccio’s tender depiction of the meeting of the Archangel Gabriel and the Virgin Mary, writing to the curator Richard Morphet that it "emanates feelings of love. It’s a delicate picture, very still".

Juxtaposed, the two works are in active dialogue with one another. Both play with space, movement, and architecture; challenging the viewer and inviting exploration.