This is the time of year when we take stock and look ahead. For Friends of Florence, it is a very special moment. This fall, we celebrate our 25th anniversary of helping to preserve, restore and safeguard irreplaceable masterpieces in Florence and beyond.

We are eternally grateful to our donors and the renowned conservation experts as well as the advisors, partners, and collaborators with whom we work. To date, we have invested $14 million in 400 projects, including masterworks by Botticelli, Donatello, Michelangelo and many more figures in the pantheon of the western canon. Equally important are those by lesser-known artists and artisans—some dating to Greek, Etruscan and Roman times—as well as those items designed for scientific inquiry, such as historic globes and maps in the Galileo Museum.
At any given time, we have some 20 to 30 projects in process, some undertaken with partners. This year, for example, we shall embark on a project with our friends at Save Venice to restore an iconic Donatello sculpture.
One stipulation for identifying projects is that they must be on public view—accessible to all—be it a museum, place of worship or piazza. Whenever possible, conservation is done on site so that visitors can appreciate the meticulous care and technical rigor that this level of stewardship requires.
Each project addresses condition issues both visible and beneath the surface. These issues are created by the inevitable impact of time, previous interventions, environmental conditions and benign neglect. Some works damaged in the flood of 1966 had been stored away until modern techniques, diagnostic tools and conservation practices could be developed and applied. With great care, conservators have brought many of these treasures back to life to be displayed and appreciated once again.

Another goal of our work is enabling new research and discoveries, thereby contributing to our understanding of our past and present. What materials did the artists use and why? How did their practices evolve over time? Who were their benefactors and patrons? What was the intention behind the creation? Is the work correctly attributed?
Among the most recognizable projects we have funded are Michelangelo’s iconic David and Prisoners in the Accademia; his poignant Pietà in the Opera del Duomo; Botticelli’s odes to classic beauty in the Uffizi Gallery; Ghiberti’s epic Gates of Paradise; Pontormo’s sublime Deposition from the Cross in the Capponi Chapel; Fra Angelico’s vibrant altarpieces; and, most recently, the stunning Brancacci Chapel frescoes by Masaccio, Masolino and Filippino Lippi in the Church of Santa Maria del Carmine.
We also offer a range of educational programs and opportunities for the study and appreciation of Italian culture and organize travel programs with esteemed art historians featuring special access to iconic places.
We cordially invite you to learn more about our work at friendsofflorence.org, view startling before-and-after transformations on our YouTube channel, and watch for more stories in The Florentine as our completed projects return to view.