Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars: a new exhibition

On 8 November 2024, the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) in Phoenix, Arizona, opened its newest special exhibition, Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars. The exhibition presents more than 70 exemplary string instruments and bows made by Antonio Stradivari and other preeminent European makers of the 16^th to the 19^th century. This collection of spectacular violins, guitars, lutes, and bows shows how the materials, forms, and techniques developed by Stradivari and other iconic luthiers elevated fine string instruments into timeless masterpieces.

The exhibition, which can only be seen at MIM, features the 1726 ‘Tartini’ Stradivari violin, which is on public display for the first time. Another highlight is a rare Stradivari mandolino coristo and its original case; the instrument is one of only two surviving mandolins Stradivari is known to have made. The exhibition also includes violins by Andrea Amati and Giuseppe Guarneri ‘del Gesù,’ bows by François Xavier Tourte and Dominique Peccatte, and guitars by Matteo Sellas, Alexandre Voboam, and Joachim Tielke, among others.

In addition to historic instruments from MIM’s permanent collection and loans from renowned institutions such as the National Music Museum, the exhibition features loans from private collectors, many of which have never been publicly displayed.

In the exhibition, the distinctive sounds of many of the instruments are brought to life in original performance videos featuring internationally acclaimed virtuosos such as Rachel Barton Pine and Nancy Zhou. Commentary from world-renowned experts such as Christopher Reuning, a former president of the American Federation of Violin and Bow Makers, helps unveil the captivating narratives of the masterpieces on display.

Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars traces the history of European string instruments across hundreds of years. The instruments’ common details reveal how building processes were preserved and perfected across generations of instrument makers and influenced by European trade and migration. Parallels between instrument forms also reveal similarities in instrument-making methods.

‘The name Stradivarius is synonymous with the pinnacle of violin making,’ says exhibition curator Matthew Zeller, PhD, MIM’s curator for Europe. ‘This exhibition will introduce MIM’s guests to Stradivari and other influential makers and reveal many fascinating connections between violin making and guitar making, providing guests with an opportunity to relate centuries-old masterworks to modern instruments in their own lives.’

Stradivarius and the Golden Age of Violins and Guitars is open now through September 2025. The exhibition will not travel and is exclusive to MIM. Zeller leads highlights tours of the exhibition for guests on the third Thursday of each month. Learn more about the special exhibition and purchase tickets at MIM.org.