National Gallery Of Art Opens Exhibit On Piero Di Cosimo

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The National Gallery of Art is opening the first major retrospective exhibition on Renaissance artist Piero di Cosimo with a show that will later move to Florence, Italy.

"Piero di Cosimo: The Poetry of Painting in Renaissance Florence" includes about 40 of the artist's works, ranging from religious altarpieces to mythological fantasy scenes with dragons.

Piero was a contemporary of Michelangelo, Leonardo and Botticelli, but he has long been overshadowed by those famous artists. Curators say that Piero was a master painter who was highly sought after in his own time, famous for his mythological scenes.

The show opened Sunday and will remain on view through May 3 in Washington. In June, a different version of the exhibition will open at the Uffizi museum in Florence.