On the occasion of the 58th anniversary of the severe flood that severely affected the city in 1966, November 4 saw a series of events held in memory of the devastation. Former Irish supermodel Jean O’Reilly Barlow, artist and creative director of Interi, creates artworks using lost church artifacts saved from the 1966 flood of Florence and transforms them into sculptural works of art, one of which she presented to Mayor Sara Funaro on the morning of November 4 along with director of Museo de’ Medici, Samuele Lastrucci.
Titled the Florence Fragment Collection, the pieces embody the message that What was weathered and worn is now reimagined and reborn. What was lost is now found. Referred to as a “Modern Mud Angel”, in reference to the volunteers who worked tirelessly to save artistic treasures from ruin, Jean O’Reilly Barlow’s works are currently on show at the Museo de’Medici until November 10, 2024, with a presentation held at 6pm on November 4 in memory of the flood.
Ph. Ludovica Barone
Ph. Ludovica Barone
Ph. Ludovica Barone
On the occasion of the presentation, Mayor Sara Funaro commented: “This is an important occasion for me, as it is the first flood anniversary that I mark as Mayor. It’s significant for me both as a politician, and as a granddaughter”, given the fact that it was Sara Funaro’s grandfather, Piero Bargellini, who was Mayor of Florence at the time of the flood and helped restore the city under his leadership.
“I’m honoured to present this collection with the Museo de’ Medici in the city where the pieces found their origin and precious history,” says Barlow. “This collection is to honour the history of Florence and to show the beauty and resilience the city holds. It’s the birthplace of the Renaissance, and this collection pays tribute to the rebirth after the flood… Each piece shows that what is distressed and broken is not ‘beyond restoration’, but can be transformed into something more beautiful than before. It’s not in spite of its history, but because of it”.
