Forty-year old American artist and teacher Joe Blaustein was in Florence on November 4, 1966 when the Arno submerged the city. With his camera in tow he decided to document what was happening in real time.
Among the very few colour photos of the 1966 Florence flood, the images are now on show at an exhibition at the Italian Cultural Institute of New York (686 Park Avenue, free admission, 6-8pm, until November 23, 2016). Blaustein’s photography have been placed alongside black-and-white images by Italian photographer Massimo Berruti of another flood, caused by Hurricane Sandy in New York in 2012 and that hit the southern part of the city with tremendous force.
Blaustein’s unusual colour photos will also be displayed at the Embassy of Italy and the Italian Institute of Culture of Washington, DC (3000 Whitehaven St, free admission, 6:30-8:30pm, until November 14, 2016) as part of the exhibition titled “Remembering the flood of Florence 50 years later”. The exhibit began with opening remarks by Armando Varricchio, Ambassador of Italy to the United States and Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence.
