On Friday March 14, Museo Novecento welcomed the works of British sculptor Thomas J Price for the exhibition Thomas J Price in Florence.
Price is best known for his large-scale figurative sculptures, which draw attention to the psychology of his fictional characters developed through an approach that mixes traditional sculpting with digital technology.
Curated by Sergio Risalti, the exhibition features sculptures of varying sizes integrated into the museum’s permanent collection, as well as two outdoor bronze sculptures: A Kind of Confidence in the courtyard of the Museo Novecento and the 3.6-metre-tall Time Unfolding in piazza della Signoria, depicting a girl staring at her phone screen with her back turned to the Loggia dei Lanzi, Palazzo Vecchio and the Uffizi. In this way, the installation enters into a dialogue with Florence, challenging our expectations and offering insight into human connection.
Further works by the British sculptor line the halls of Palazzo Vecchio, such as the green Ming marble work Through a Steady Gaze in the Sala Leone X, an anonymous yet universal figure placed alongside representations of historical figures such as Giovanni de’ Medici, who was elected Pope Leo X in 1513, and Leonardo da Vinci. With this work, Price reflects on which figures have been canonized in museums throughout history and which have not. Similarly the Bronze Heads placed in the Sala delle Udienze invite us to reflect on the representations of Black people throughout European art history.
The exhibition forms a part of the wider Supernovecento program at Museo Novecento, joining the all-female lineup of Messaggere, exploring art and spirituality across diverse means of expression, and textile artist Marion Baruch’s Un passo avanti tanti dietro, showcasing the Romanian’s works. These two exhibitions are on show until June 8, while Thomas J Price will finish on June 11, with the sculpture in piazza della Signoria slated to remain until June 11.
