I am not a big fan of large, overcrowded museums. They draw
tourists who are trying to check off the “important sites,” and who stand in
front of the major pieces of art, taking pictures that will come out worse than
the post cards available in the store. This is especially true since I live in
New York City, and have The Met, MOMA and the Whitney at my beck and call. When
I travel, I am much more likely to look for smaller exhibits. I mean, I have
been to Florence three times, and I have yet to visit the Uffizi or the
Academia. Yet I have seen amazing art on these trips, and this one was no
exception.
In order to fulfill my passion for walking old cities and
visiting smaller museums I usually try to stay as close to the center of the
city I visit as I can afford. On this trip to Florence The Amazing Ms. D and I
chose the Hotel Olimpia, which is on the Piazza della
Repubblica. The Olimpia is a nice 3.5-star hotel that occupies the top two
floors of a building built in 1800. The beds are comfortable, the ceilings are
tall and the staff is extremely friendly. It is not the fanciest place to stay,
but at a rate of around $100/night in a great location, this was a good choice.
Palazzo Strozzi by saját tulajdonú képeslap [Public domain] via wikicommons |
Staying in the center of town makes it easy to walk around
and discover wonderful exhibits. One that I found was at the Palazzo Strozzi. The Palazzo Strozzi was built at the end of the 15th
century by the Strozzi family, rivals to the Medicis. It is a large,
freestanding, stone structure with an open ground floor that includes an open
space at its center. Today, the building is home to the Institute of Humanist
Studies, and the Fondazzione Palazzo Strozzi, which organizes exhibitions of art
works.
My visit to the Palazzo Strozzi was to see an exhibit
celebrating the life and work of Andrea del Verrocchio. Verrocchio was a painter, sculptor
and goldsmith during the 15th century in Florence. He may have
apprenticed under Donatello and/or under Fra Filippo Lippi. He ran a workshop
in Florence where Leonardo da Vinci and Pietro Perugino were among his
students. While his work has not been well known, his influence has lasted for
centuries.
David Triumphant by Verrocchio |
David Triumphant with sketches by da Vinci |
Madonna and Child by Verrocchio |
The exhibit was an excellent collection of works by
Verrocchio and his contemporaries and students. It began with some of his
sculptures, including one of David, along with a drawing of that statue by da
Vinci. This joining together of works was done throughout the exhibit. There
was a cornucopia of Madonna and Childs, along with angels and saints galore. It
was an excellent exploration of one artist and his legacy.
Madonna and Child with Two Angels by Botticelli |
Winged Boy with Dolphin by Verrocchio |
Saint Bernadino Restores the sight of a Blindman by Pietro Perugino |
Staying near the Piazza della Repubblica also put us only
three blocks from the Auditorium of Santo Stefano al Ponte. Sitting just a block from the Ponte
Vecchio, this decommissioned 12th century church is now a concert
and exhibition space. We saw “Van Gogh & I Maldetti” (Van Gogh and the
Damned). This was a multi media show high-lighting the works of Van Gogh,
Gauguin, Cezanne, Toulouse-Lautrec, Modigliani, and Chaim Soutine. Their works
were set to classical music and projected onto the walls, ceiling and floor of
the building. This immersive show makes one feel as thought they were inside
the paintings. In fact, there is also a VR experience that literally takes you
on a tour through Van Gogh’s Starry Night and Modigliani’s Workshop. Van Gogh
& I Maldetti is similar to several shows that are being staged in cities
around Europe. Last year I attended a different show while in Berlin. This is a
great experience and I highly recommend seeing one of these exhibits if you
have the opportunity.
When you are thinking about traveling, look beyond the large
museums, and seek out the smaller galleries. They have great shows of works
that aren’t often seen.
Getting There:
Palazzo Strozzi – Piazza Strozzi 50123 Firenze. Tickets for
the Verrocchio Exhibit are €13/10.
Auditorium of Santo Stefano di Ponte - Piazza Santo Stefano
1, 50122, Florence, Italy. Admission varies depending on the event.
Now, I too live in NYC and have access to some of the greatest museums in the world. But my favorite exhibit of all time was the post-Impressionist Van Gogh & the Maldetti. The Impressionists and post Impressionists are my favorite art schools of 19th and early 20th centuries. But when the scale and presentation of these master works is as all-encompassing as this, it was just an overwhelming experience. Truly it felt as though I was walking into the worlds created by those masters. I sat there for what seemed like hours, open mouthed and speechless. If you ever get a chance to see this type of exhibit, don't pass it up. It changes the way you look at the works and will stay with you for quite some time. AMD
ReplyDelete