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Discover the latest exhibition news from Florence in our constantly updated guide. Here, learn which galleries are launching new exhibitions, which artists from around the world are presenting their work, and read our reviews of current displays. From the classical to the contemporary, Florence’s art offering is abundant and diverse, and there is always something new to read about and to visit for yourself.
In the late 19th century, part of the orientalising trend that overtook much of Europe was a ‘discovery’ of all things related to India. Through two expeditions led by figures connected to the current University of Florence (then called the Istituto di Studi Superiori di Firenze), the city
Did you know that wine from Montalcino (the name Brunello was invented much later) was first served at Buckingham Palace in 1696? And that it boasts many firsts in Italy, including the first Italian wine scandal? Perhaps, like most people, you don’t. Which is why it is worth
An early morning visit to the exhibit The Renaissance Dream at the Palatine Gallery is like returning to a suspended state of sleep for an hour or so. It is truly a joy to experience such a cohesive grouping of works that offer close visual comparisons and suggest literary references.
Beauty is a concept not immediately associated with visual art in the modern era. Although some artists pioneered the sublime detachment of abstraction, others appeared more concerned with the turmoil, grittiness and uncertainty of existence. Indeed, many practitioners may even have regarded the pursuit of beauty as irrelevant, even irresponsible.
Forty years ago this month, I set out from London as a teenager on my ‘grand tour’ that was to take me from art history studies at the British Institute in Florence to an archaeological dig in Herculaneum, via Magic Bus to Marrakesh and the Orient Express to
In the late 1960s, the modern blockbuster art exhibition arrived and changed the museum landscape. Pioneered by such major institutions as New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, these ambitious shows combined the art-world equivalents of Cinemascope, Technicolor, surround sound with a touch of Barnum and Bailey promotion.
Palazzo Strozzi’s lastest exhibit, Springtime of the Renaissance, takes on a double challenge: explaining the roots of the Renaissance, topic of extensive historiography, and convincing the crowds to go see a show about sculpture. Sculpture is generally less sexy and less of a crowd-pleaser than painting.
There is no doubting Salvador Dalí’s popularity. His work continues to please, shock and titillate, generating food for thought and queues at the ticket office. The arrival of The Dalí ...
An exhibition of contemporary works at Villa Romana, located on the edge of the city, a mile and several centuries from the Pitti Palace, marks the arrival in Tuscany of four new foreign artists. Villa Romana—Winners 2013 is a collection assembled by this year’s fellows,
A new exhibit at the Museo del Tessuto in Prato looks at the history of vintage fashion, a timely topic in an historic moment in which economic realities and dreams of a happier past have put the phenomenon of vintage clothing and lifestyle into the spotlight. From street fashion
When he left for New York in the early 1980s, Ai Weiwei joked that on his return to China his friends would see a ‘new Picasso'; he has since ceased to make any such claims for himself and has left the job to journalists and curators. Unlike many artists
Bright, bold hues, powerful patterns, decisive lines: the fashion style and designs of Enrico Coveri blasted into the world in the 1970s and continue to enliven and astound to this day. The exhibit Coveri Story, at the new home of the Camera di Commercio in Prato, tells the life and
Italy's Fascist dictatorship never enforced one style on the nation's artists. In the 1930s, therefore, traditional portraiture was practised alongside advanced abstraction in visual art and interior design. In architecture, classicism was revived for official buildings but modern streamlined structures were also built: Florence's main railway station,
The celebrations of Vespucci Year continue with the opening of the exhibit at Palazzo Pitti, New Frontier: History and Culture of the Native Americans from the Collections of The Gilcrease Museum of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Co-organizer Laura Johnson reflects on the title and gives TF a personal glimpse behind the
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, photographer Brian Duffy created the look of modern, creative Britain. With contemporaries David Bailey and Terence Donovan, Duffy (he was always known by his surname) enlivened the pages of the world's leading style magazines with fashion shots and advertising images that were as restless,
Those who make, appreciate and promote contemporary art have long found Florence a difficult place for new art: the competition with the magnificence of its cultural past can be overwhelming. Yet two venues in Florence suggest that contemporary art can find a home in Florence and that a curious public
When you hear the name ‘Oliviero Toscani’, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? The shock artist who constantly approaches societal issues head on? The visionary who breathes new life into contemporary art? The guy in the bright red glasses? One thing is for
‘Mediterranean weaving—fabric as a dictionary of economic, cultural and social relations.’ This rather ponderous title introduces a fascinating exhibition at the Museo del Tessuto in Prato comparing the different textile ...
