Underrated genius.

Giovanni Battista Moroni  opens 25 October  at the Royal Academy.

In less than two weeks, London's Royal Academy unveils the revolutionary masterpieces of Renaissance portraitist Giovanni Battista Moroni. Moroni was a man ahead of his time by centuries, depicting a broad spectrum of northern Italian society with penetrating insight and breathtaking realism. In the words of The Guardian, his captivating portraits “break down the formality of art as he elicits a compassionate meeting of gazes across time.” Find out more with a beginner's guide to Moroni and get ready for the exhibition by reading novelist Sarah Dunant’s take on the enigmatic characters he captured on canvas.