The life and times of two influential figures and their ample art collection are the subject of the fascinating exhibition at Villa Bardini that sees Caravaggio’s Boy Bitten by a Lizard as its centerpiece. On show until July 20, the curators Cristina Acidini and Claudio Paolini worked with Fondazione CR Firenze and Fondazione di Studi di Storia dell’Arte Roberto Longhi to share the intellectual life fostered at the couple’s home in Villa Il Tasso and the seemingly endless list of illustrious names that passed through their doors.
Married in 1924, the art historian Roberto Longhi and writer Anna Banti had over 2,500 correspondents, named on a wall that serves as the ultimate 20th-century contact list. Scanning, you can see Michel Laclotte, John Pope-Hennessy, Pier Paolo Pasolini and Vasco Pratolini among the many names. The 12 sections of the exhibition cover archival documents, multimedia, photographs and over 40 artworks featuring the likes of Jusepe de Ribera, Giorgio Morandi, Filippo De Pisis and Renato Guttuso. There’s even a “silent room”, inviting you to rest your eyes and mind, reflecting on art’s influence and its ability to move.
Ph. Antonio Mulas
Ph. Antonio Mulas
Ph. Antonio Mulas
Ph. Antonio Mulas
Ph. Antonio Mulas
Ph. Antonio Mulas
Ph. Antonio Mulas
At the press conference, journalists were advised to head to the large-scale Caravaggio 2025 exhibition at Palazzo Barberini in Rome, if it’s specifically Caravaggio you’re after, because this display is an unprecedented exploration of the cultural life that blossomed from the Oltrarno and the extensive international network that stemmed from just two people and their home in via Benedetto Fortini, on the slopes of Santa Margherita a Montici, a villa that has become a lasting reference point for Italian culture and not only.
