The Gallery of Modern Art at Palazzo Pitti is celebrating the 150th anniversary of Florence as the former capital of Italy with an exhibition titled Firenze Capitale 1865-2015. The Gifts and Collections of the King.
The exhibition spotlights King Vittorio Emanuele II, in particular his sojourn in the Florentine palace, which in 1865 became the home of the Savoy family, the third largest reigning dynasty after that of the Medici and Lorena families. The first sovereign of Italy, Vittorio Emanuele II, came to the throne in 1849 following his annexation of Tuscany to Piedmont.
In 1863, the king visited the Accademia di Firenze and commissioned six young artists to create grand paintings of historic subject matter, which were later used to furnish the king’s rooms in the Pitti Palace. Here, in the Sala del Fiorino, these heritage pieces are called, simply, the King’s gifts.
The exhibition is held on the first and second floors of Palazzo Pitti, in the Palatine Gallery and Royal Apartments, in the Modern Art Gallery and the Costume Gallery.
P. Saltini, Simon Memmi who is portraying Laura, as commissioned by Petrarch, 1863, Florence.
The exhibition will run from November 19, 2015 to April 3, 2016.
Firenze Capitale 1865-2015. I doni e le collezioni del Re
Galleria d’arte moderna, Palazzo Pitti
www.unannoadarte.it
055 290383
Open Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15am – 6.50pm. Ticket office closes at 6.05pm. Closed on Mondays.
Tickets cost 13 euro /6.50 for EU citizens aged between 18 and 25
