Accademia Gallery reopens with striking new layout

The Galleria dell’Accademia reopens to the public on Thursday, May 6 with a striking new layout. Over 600 artworks were moved during the closure, which the museum used to embark on much-needed renovations.

Ph. Massimo Sestini

Visitors to the museum will be delighted to find the Department of Musical Instruments visible once more, now leading through a newly created passageway to rooms used to host temporary exhibitions and where paintings from the Sala del Colosso are currently on display. (The Sala del Colosso remains closed for renovations.) Visitors are then led into the Tribune, where they are greeted by Michelangelo’s David, with Lorenzo Bartolini’s plaster casts interspersed along the way, released from their home in the Gipsoteca, which is also undergoing work.

Ph. Guido Cozzi

“Relocating all these artworks was a gigantic undertaking, I would dare to say. The work that we systematically started to solve the building’s numerous conservation problems confronted us with a major challenge: rethinking the museum’s exhibition layout, while respecting its collections. I’m happy with the result, which I think is captivating, and to be able to share it with our audience”, says Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Accademia Gallery.

Ph. Massimo Sestini

Works are also ongoing in the Byzantine rooms and on the first floor, with renovations expected to be completed by the end of the year. Each room is to be equipped with new air conditioning systems.