The world’s oldest drawing academy, Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, is the subject of this session with Director of Advancing Women Artists, Linda Falcone, in conversation with AADFI president, Dr Cristina Acidini. The talk looks at whether we can claim that this is where the Renaissance really started and presents a unique opportunity to (virtually) visit where art training began – the world over – in a space that’s only very rarely open to the public.
Florence’s Drawing Academy, which has been open continuously since 1563, was ideated by Giorgio Vasari and founded by Cosimo I de’ Medici as an association for artists at a time when painters still belonged to the Guild of Physicians and Spice Makers, given that their craft involved the grinding of colours. Accademia delle Arti del Disegno president Dr. Cristina Acidini reveals the secrets of this intriguing venue at the very heart of Florence’s art history, whose ranks include Michelangelo, Bronzino and Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman granted membership, in 1615.
See the other videos in the Restoration Conversations series here:
