Caravaggio in Sicily

presented by David Henderson

Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio is one of art history’s most fascinating personalities: a painter of genius and a man possessed of a violent, mercurial temperament. Born in Lombardy in 1571, the young artist moved to Rome where his forceful vision soon captivated the city’s elites. At the height of his success a warrant for his arrest for killing a man forced him to flee, travelling to Naples, Malta, and Sicily. Although a fugitive, Caravaggio remained in great demand, and he continued to produce works whose originality and dramatic power would revolutionise European painting.

After initial studies in architecture, David Henderson spent four years at London’s Royal Academy Schools where he was awarded the S.J. Solomon prize for figure painting and was twice selected for the Academy’s annual summer exhibition. Since then, he has held over 30 solo exhibitions in London, Rome, Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane. His work has been selected for a number of prestigious group exhibitions, including the New English Art Club, the Doug Moran National Portrait Prize and Tattersall’s Landscape Prize. David has been the recipient of numerous awards including – on two occasions – Best of Show at the Brisbane Rotary art exhibition. In 2021, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Queensland Art Society. David has lectured for the Queensland Art Gallery, Queensland University of Technology and the Brisbane Institute of Art. He has accompanied over 50 tours for ASA to Italy, France, the UK and the USA and now spends a part of each year living and working in Italy. David brings a trained artist’s eye to an analysis of painting, sculpture and architecture and takes great pleasure in sharing his knowledge.