With the quincentenary of Leonardo’s death coming up in 2019, numerous museums in Florence and beyond are organizing initiatives and celebrations. Here are three to look forward to in Tuscany.
At Palazzo Strozzi
Commencing March 8 and running through July 14, the big spring exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi, Verrocchio, the Master of Leonardo, brings together the superb masterpieces of Andrea del Verrocchio, one of the greatest masters of the Quattrocento, alongside a series of crucial works by such artists as Pietro Perugino, Domenico Ghirlandaio and his most celebrated pupil, Leonardo da Vinci. The Bargello will be hosting one of the sections.
At Palazzo Vecchio
Also scheduled for the spring, several sheets of Leonardo da Vinci’s Codex Atlanticus will be displayed in the Palazzo Vecchio, on loan from Milan’s Biblioteca Ambrosiana. Curated by the former superintendent of Florence’s city museums Cristina Acidini in collaboration with the ex-Italian culture minister Lorenzo Ornaghi, the folios that Leonardo produced while still working in Tuscany take pride of place in this much-anticipated exhibition.
At Museo del Tessuto
Take the train to Prato for Leonardo da Vinci: Genius and Textiles, opening at the city’s Textile Museum on December 16 until May 26, 2019. This innovative multimedia exhibition showcases the research that da Vinci conducted into the mechanization of yarns and fibres, including a look at silk and wool manufacturing through drawings, paintings and models. Presented to the press at Milan’s Science Museum, it’s sure to pull in Leonardo lovers from far and wide.
