Two Poets Go To Hell

It is one of the greatest artworks of the Italian Renaissance, and for the better part of a century it was rolled up in storage. A tapestry—the art form of popes, kings, and emperors—bigger than any painting that has ever come to America from 16th-century Italy. Made in the famous Medici gardens where the Renaissance was nurtured. Hidden away at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Until now.

A story of power and glory, luck and determination—and Dante and Virgil, the two poets of "The Inferno" poised at the brink of hell in the tapestry. (Oh, and Beatrice, Dante's muse—she manages to get in the story, too.) A tapestry that is once again on view for a few months only. Until back to storage it goes.

A big thank-you to Max Bryant, curator of European decorative art at Mia, who tells us of his incredible discovery, why tapestry is underrated, and more.

You can see the tapestry from July 11, 2026, through January 31, 2027, in "Back from the Underworld" at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. 

And you can read more about Dante and Virgil's hellish meeting at Beatrice's behest in a fine analysis here by poet and scholar Diane Mehta.