A number of exhibitions celebrate the 450th anniversary of the death of the famed painter and architect from Arezzo.
Many of them are concentrated in Giorgio Vasari’s hometown, an initiative sponsored by Comune di Arezzo, Fondazione CR Firenze and Fondazione Guido di Arezzo.
Sala Grande: Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de’ Medici
Palazzo Vecchio’s Salone dei Cinquecento is currently home to the Sala Grande exhibition that brings us back to when Giorgio Vasari went about enhancing the most magnificent of the Palazzo’s rooms. On display until March 9 will be La Sala Grande: Giorgio Vasari per Cosimo I De’ Medici, a small but significant display to commemorate the 450th anniversary of the architect and the Grand Duke who both passed away in 1574, and the glorious project that remains at the heart of Florentine civic life.
Giorgio Vasari and the Nativity. Painting light at the time of Duke Cosimo I
Wonder at the light in Vasari’s stunning painting of the Nativity as well as the portrait of Cosimo I created by Alessandro Allori on loan from Rome’s Galleria Borghese in a combination of art and power that made the Renaissance so great. It’s the latest show to come to this jewel box of the museum in San Giovanni Valdarno after exhibitions organized by the Uffizi.
Until January 12
Museo delle Terre Nuove, San Giovanni Valdarno
The Theatre of Virtues
The exhibition in Arezzo provides an original look at Vasari’s work as a painter, architect and historian, who was the favourite court artist of Grand Duke of Tuscany, Cosimo de’ Medici during the second half of the 16th century. Featuring loans from the Met, the Louvre and the Uffizi, the show emphasizes the use of allegory.
Until February 2
Galleria d’Arte Contemporanea + Sala Sant’Ignazio, Arezzo
Si è mangiato altro che pane e messer Giorgio. Critical reception and new research on the Peducci Banner
The core of Giorgio Vasari’s works preserved at the Diocesan Museum of Arezzo is represented by the processional banner created in 1549 for the Compagnia di San Giovanni Battista dei Peducci. This banner consists of two canvases depicting the Sermon of the Baptist and the Baptism of Jesus. These works form the centerpiece of the exhibition organized to highlight Vasari’s skill as a painter.
Until February 2
Museo Diocesano di Arte Sacra, Arezzo
Il disegno fu lo imitare il più bello della natura: The house, drawings and ideas: Giorgio Vasari and the figure of the intellectual architect
Giorgio Vasari redesigned and decorated the Casa del Borgo di San Vito as a manifesto of the new social role of the artist and architect, intellectual and courtier. Artworks (on loan from the Uffizi and the MAN in Naples) and objects, both physical and digital, dialogue with the house museum.
Until February 2
Museo di Casa Vasari, Arezzo
“Alcuna cosa fuor dell’uso comune”. The banquet for the wedding of Esther and Ahasuerus by Giorgio Vasari
In 1548, Giorgio Vasari received a commission from Abbot Giovanni Benedetto da Mantova to decorate the refectory of the Benedictine monastery of Saints Flora and Lucilla in Arezzo. The requested work was supposed to be a religious scene, but Vasari chose to paint something unusual: The Wedding of Queen Esther with King Ahasuerus. The work, completed in just 42 days, is one of Vasari’s most complex compositions, containing over 60 figures.
Until February 2
Museo d’Arte Medievale e Moderna, Arezzo
Building a self-image: Giorgio Vasari through his papers
On the occasion of the 450th anniversary of Giorgio Vasari’s death, the State Archives of Arezzo has organized a documentary exhibition with new perspectives. Since 2018, the Institute has owned the Vasari Papers, linked to the Casa Vasari Museum, and this anniversary represents an opportunity to display documents from the Vasari Archive alongside other sources preserved in various institutions.
Until January 31
Archivio di Stato di Arezzo
