The Horne Museum takes center stage in 2017, with the 100th anniversary of the Fondazione Horne. A series of events are planned for the centenary, beginning with the exhibition Tiepolo: Drawings from the Horne Album.
Until April 18, 2017, visitors to the Horne Museum will have the opportunity to see 26 newly restored drawings by Giambattista Tiepolo, which were purchased by Herbert Horne in London in 1903. The individual drawings are part of a 48-page album—in turn, one of nine held in museums and libraries across the world—which was dismantled as part of a recent year-long restoration project. Following the exhibition, the pages will be bound back together as they were originally.
The restoration was the result of a collaboration established between Friends of Florence and Save Venice Inc. for the 50th anniversary of the 1966 floods in their respective cities. The aim of the partnership is to safeguard Italy’s patrimony—oft considered the world’s patrimony—in the face of ever-increasing natural disasters. Both American non-profit organizations have had a considerable impact on Italian heritage over the last few decades, from pioneering new conservation methods to developing key models of private philanthropy. Together, they raised funds not only to restore Tiepolo’s drawings to their former glory, but also for the conservation of Maestro di Badia a Isola’s Virgin and Child Enthroned with Angels, currently held in the Palazzo Cini Gallery in Venice.
Tiepolo: Drawings from the Horne Album will run until April 18, 2017 at the Horne Museum. Opening hours are from 10am to 2pm every day except Wednesday; free guided visits on Saturday and Sunday at 11am.
