Art history buffs, take note: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts is hosting a notable traveling exhibition this summer (organized by the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, in association with Manchester Art Gallery, Manchester, United Kingdom), "Sin and Salvation: William Holman Hunt and the Pre-Raphaelite Vision." It's the first time in 40 years that a large sampling of this artist's famous work has been gathered for public view; the MIA is the only U.S. museum that will host this exhibition of iconic paintings.

William Holman Hunt -- founder of the upstart Victorian art movement, the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood (PRB) -- was an influential forerunner of the modern superstar artist. His superlative artistic talent was more than matched by his flair for showmanship and provocation. He challenged mores of polite society and artistic modes of the time, but did so with an eye to cultivating populist acclaim. He bypassed academic tastemakers and took his work directly to the people — his popular paintings toured widely, theatrically presented and viewable by the masses for a shilling a piece.

With his PRB brethren — artists like Dante Gabriel Rosetti, John Everett Millais, Arthur Hughes and Ford Madox Brown — Hunt rejected the murky color, demure classical poses, and High Renaissance styles of composition and portraiture long favored by the Academy. Rather, he deployed jewel-tones and impossibly fine brushwork to create sumptuous textures and rich plays of light and shadow — skin, textiles and hair so believable, your hand itches to touch them. His hyper-real figures positively leap off the canvas.

Exhibition co-curator Carol Jacobi says, "You can't help but draw close. His work is so intricate and complex, and the detail is so fine, viewers can't stop themselves from getting right up on the paintings."

And his work seems to look back at you. Hunt's singularly rendered subjects — friends, lovers, religious icons, figures in historical narrative scenes — do not politely avert their eyes. The gaze in these images is direct, even brazen. His subject matter was often considered risqué, even gritty. The women in his images are independent; and the morality of Hunt's depicted world is rather looser than the rigid notions of propriety common to his day.

The artist's lifelong priority was to render his figures and landscapes true to life; and for mythical/religious depictions he aimed for faithfulness in every detail to the emerging historical and archaeological record. Hunt's novel artistic approach was an outgrowth of the creative, scientific, and philosophical zeitgeist of the late 19th century: influenced by Darwin's groundbreaking observations about human origins, burgeoning social tumult on issues of class and gender, the lingering sway of Romantic poetry and philosophy.

In spite of his success, Hunt was not a terribly prolific artist. Between his historical research, travel and the painstaking effort required by the intricacies of texture and detail in his paintings, it's no wonder each piece took years to complete.

From June 14 to Sept. 6, you can see a generous sampling of the artist's body of work. "Sin and Salvation" at the MIA features 64 of Hunt's luminous masterworks. If you're free this Sunday at 2 p.m., why not attend an introductory lecture by exhibition co-curator Carol Jacobi? Her expertise on the Pre-Raphaelites and the Victorian era, and on William Holman Hunt, in particular, provides invaluable context for seeing the paintings.

For related events and programming scheduled throughout the "Sin and Salvation" exhibition's summer-long run, visit the Minneapolis Institute of Arts website.