Andy Warhol and Simone D’Auria at Gallery Hotel Art

Lungarno Collection’s popular art installations, set up in the unassuming square outside Gallery Hotel Art (vicolo dell’Oro 5, a stone’s throw from the Ponte Vecchio), have returned in their fifth rendition.

With artist Simone D’Auria’s “Freedom” installation, which uses the quintessential Italian design icon—the Vespa—visitors’ gazes are drawn up the building and back down, and finally led inside to meet the definitive Pop Art master: Andy Warhol.

The exhibition “Andy Warhol Forever” consists of 16 works, including some of his most recognizable productions, coming from the Fondazione Rosini Gutman. The exhibition, set up inside the Gallery Hotel Art, spans portraits from the mega-famous Marilyn Monroe series to the beloved Campbell’s soup can series, with a 1966 “disposable” Campbell’s soup dress to boot.

In addition to Warhol’s works, visitors can view several works by Steve Kaufman, including a series of three James Deans and a portrait of Elvis Presley.

Back in the square, Simone D’Auria made use of the water transfer printing technique to cover the bodies of the Vespas in colors and images. Images chosen represent an idea of freedom—symbolically moving through various locations, from the palms of Palermo to the grain fields of Tuscany and far beyond.

The nearby Leica store is a partner of the exhibition, currently housing a white marble Vespa shell inside.

Until the exhibition’s conclusion on December 31, 2017, visitors can enjoy a special POP-themed menu at the hotel’s Fusion Bar & Restaurant.