Part of this, as suggested in the review is that “fashions changed” during the period in which they were created. And although the sculptors who made the works were as highly regarded as many of their household-name contemporaries, many of them faded into obscurity as time passed.

Certainly in today’s art world, fashions change by the week, month, year in which they were both created and received. Pieces conceived in a time when sensational, loud, boisterous expression ruled the day can easily be forgotten a year later, when a more subtle and understated approach becomes popular.

Some of the sculptors featured in this exhibit created their most prized works in the form of monuments, tombs, and altars, all of which – for obvious reasons – cannot be transported in the auspices of any modern day museum. Tullio Lombardo, whose name holds the title of the exhibition, was near obsessed with classical form and Greek approaches to sculpture. Because of this, his style, which he mostly  learned studying under his father, Pietro, was in a sense left behind.

It’s always interesting to see work that was overshadowed during the period in which it was created become appreciated in a modern setting. As Artdaily.com describes his artistic direction, “Tullio crafted close-up treatments of secular subjects designed for an audience that could respond to their elusive, haunting character in an intimate setting. A type of sculpture never seen before, these portrait-like busts in exceptionally high relief represented figural types descended from ancient Greek and Roman art, given immediacy by their Renaissance hairstyles and costume details.”

So in essence, Tullio’s work predated the multi-faceted conceits of the famed 20th century masters, such as Andy Warhol, Jackson Pollock, or even Diane Arbus. For lovers of sculpture, this sounds like an exhibit not to be missed.