From May 18 to January 9, Henry Moore’s Guerriero con Scudo (Warrior with Shield) takes up a temporary new residence in the Sala Leone X of Palazzo Vecchio. The project undertaken by Museo Novecento and curated by Sergio Risaliti comes ahead of the 50th anniversary in 2022 of the phenomenal exhibition of Moore’s monumental sculptures held at Forte di Belvedere in 1972.
Blending the influences of classical statuary and the careful observation of natural forms
Following that acclaimed display, Henry Moore decided to donate a work to the city of Florence: a bronze sculpture titled Warrior with Shield, made in 1953-54. Originally intended to be placed in the Loggia di Saturno in Palazzo Vecchio, due to a series of events it ended up being returned to England upon Moore’s request. The work was then donated to The British Institute of Florence in the eighties by the artist’s family and finally returned to Florence. A long-term loan was arranged and the bronze was situated in the first cloister of the Santa Croce complex where it has continued to be displayed, until now. From May 18 to January 9, 2022, it will be exhibited in the Sala Leone X of Palazzo Vecchio, just below the terrace in which Moore had originally intended it to be displayed.
Spectacular new setting
The exhibition is linked to a project series titled Relocated in which well-known works receive temporary new homes, engaging viewers in an entirely different viewing experience. Medici tapestries and the Chimera of Arezzo have also been innovatively placed as part of the initiative.
Director of The British Institute of Florence, Simon Gammell, commented, “I’m delighted and frankly astonished to see the work in the Sala Leone X because it’s almost like seeing it for the first time. It has a completely different resonance and affect in this contained cube of space as opposed to the open cloister of Santa Croce. It becomes far more intimate and, certainly for me, more powerful and more focused when framed in this space.”
The exhibition, curated by Sergio Risaliti, artistic director of the Museo Novecento, is promoted by the City of Florence, organized by MUS.E and in collaboration with The British Institute of Florence and Opera di Santa Croce.
Palazzo Vecchio can be visited from 9am to 7pm every day except Thursday when opening hours are 9am-2pm.
