Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago

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Renowned art historian Dr. Richard Spear delves into the life and afterlife of Caravaggio, one of Europe’s most innovative painters.
After an overview of Caravaggio’s tempestuous career, Dr. Spear probes the artist’s enduring popularity — then turns to a trial concerning Caravaggio’s famous Cardsharps. As one of the trial’s Expert Witnesses, Dr. Spear tells the dramatic tale from the inside, complete with connoisseurship, lab evidence, and art law intrigue.
The 2025 Mary Atkins Lecture is presented in celebration of the long-awaited reinstallation of Caravaggio’s Saint John the Baptist in the Wilderness, returning from an exhibition at Rome’s Palazzo Barberini.

THE ART & SOUL OF KANSAS CITY
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