What is it about Florence that makes people love it so? For many, it is the city’s world-renowned art treasures-the determined look in David’s eye, Botticelli’s fluttery-draped blondes, Leonardo’s crystal landscapes. It is the bronze of the baptistry doors and the story behind how they got there in the first place.
Now consider that many of these masterworks wouldn’t be visible if it weren’t for generations of dedicated arts patrons. Take a stroll through the Uffizi and you will see restorations financed by individuals and groups from all over the world-from Tokyo to Texas. That’s why, when an American, Contessa Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda, realized the need for the conservation and protection of Florence’s cultural heritage, she thought of her fellow Americans. After 30 years of living in Italy, she recognized the special relationship her countrymen had with Florence and decided to get them involved.
And so Brandolini and her sister, Renee Gardner, created Friends of Florence. On its way to becoming one of the most dynamic foundations in the art restoration world, Friends of Florence is an international nonprofit based in the United States. The organization’s goal is to preserve the legacy of Florence-a legacy that includes the humanistic works and ideals of the city that are in danger from neglect or sporadic preservation. In order to combat this phenomenon and offer concrete solutions, Friends of Florence invites art lovers from all over the world to help preserve and enhance Florence and its surrounding area by becoming patrons.
As the history books have taught us, Florence has a long-standing tradition of patronage-its treasures exist today thanks to famed patrons of culture, art, music, literature and scholarship like the Medici, Strozzi, Pitti, and other countless families who left their mark on the city by supporting the arts. Today’s Friends of Florence patrons may not end up with their name on a palazzo, but they do have the opportunity to experience the glories of Florence once a year with a week of educational programs, including lectures by historians, art historians and restoration experts; visits to private collections; and opportunities to see their projects in action. These yearly in-depth visits are a way for those who give to feel more connected, to directly participate and feel a sense of civic pride for their adopted city.
However, Friends of Florence has more than just history on its side. Thanks to her successful real estate company, Brandolini has come into contact with some of Tuscany’s most famous part-time residents, including Mel and Robyn Gibson and Sting and his wife Trudie Styler, as well as other high-profile names like Bette Midler, Franco Zeffirelli and Zubin Mehta, who sit on the advisory committee. These and other well-known individuals have lent their support to the Friends of Florence, and in some cases have given more than just time and publicity (for example, look closely at the small plaque beneath Alessandro Allori’s 1575 Mannerist altarpiece, Madonna Enthroned, in the Accademia and you will see the Gibsons’ names).
The organization’s first big project came in 2002, when it restored all 10 pieces of the marble statuary in Piazza della Signoria’s Loggia dei Lanzi, a space often referred to as Florence’s outdoor living room, which includes Giambologna’s sixteenth-century masterpiece The Rape of the Sabines. This was followed by the restoration of 22 paintings in the Tribune of Michelangelo’s David, including works by Allori, Pontormo and Portelli, in 2003. By the time David’s 500th birthday came around the very next year, Friends of Florence found that its reputation for efficiency had spread: the Dutch nonprofit financing the restoration of the famous statue was looking for a quick 200,000 euro to pay for the diagnostic testing to determine how restoration would precede and called on the Friends of Florence. Within 24 hours, Brandolini’s dynamic organization to come up with the cash.
Yet the Contessa admits to having a soft spot for the many lesser-known art works that need attention just as much, if not more, than those with big names. She notes that the organization’s mission is more than just preserving art: it is about fostering relationships and creating connections between all those who love Florence-and are working to protect it. When Friends of Florence sponsored the restoration of the Uffizi’s Sala della Niobe-which houses a collection of 17 third-century AD Roman marble figures representing Niobe and her children fleeing from the gods-it was the first time that a group of people, including restorers, historians, marble workers and administrators were all in the same room, at the same time, working together for a common goal.
These images of collaboration and of dedication to an ideal describe the heart of Friends of Florence, tales about the work itself, the restorers carefully putting the statue back together, the patrons choosing the pieces that most inspire them.
In upcoming issues, these stories will be the focus of The Florentine’s new Friends of Florence series, monthly articles that go behind the scenes of this unique organization to see how it works and what it is doing to meet the twenty-first century challenges facing Florence’s exceptional art.
