After nearly twenty years away from home, works from the Museum of Prato collection have returned to their rightful place in the beautiful Palazzo Pretorio. The building has just reopened after being closed to the public since 1997. The museum houses works by Lippi, Donatello, Giovanni da Milano, Agnolo Gaddi, Santi di Tito, Alessandro Allori, Battistello Caracciolo, and the modern art of Jacques Lipchitz. Additionally, the museum’s collection contains sketches by Lorenzo Bartolini, who was considered to be the greatest Italian sculptor in the nineteenth century. Hailed by Napoleon and the experts of his day as a ‘star,’ Bartolini is something of a local celebrity.
This museum is being called a key destination for those visiting Tuscany. Roberto Cenni, mayor of Prato remarked that ‘giving the Palazzo Pretorio back to the city was one of our priorities: for too long, the people of Prato have been deprived of this magnificent building and the treasures of the museum’s collection. This goal has been accomplished thanks to the passion of many. Prato can and must aspire to be a beautiful place that explores both contemporary art and its unmatched heritage.’
Anna Beltrama, Head of Culture, said that ‘Palazzo Pretorio has returned as a treasure chest for the city and the hub of its cultural life, but also as the beautiful place in which we can dream and build new hope for Prato’s future.’
