Art Museums

The Uffizi Gallery (Galleria degli Uffizi) holds Italy’s finest collection of art. The building was originally designed to hold the Medici family’s uffizi (administrative offices), thus giving the museum its name. The family began installing artwork in later years, eventually creating Europe’s first modern museum. The gallery is divided into periods, allowing visitors to view the progression of Italian art. The Botticelli rooms contain The Birth of Venus, among many of his finest pieces. Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation hangs in the salon. Also on display are Michelangelo’s Holy Family, Raphael’s Madonna of the Goldfinch, and Rembrandt’s Self-Portrait as an Old Man.

 

In 1993, an exploding car bomb killed five people and damaged parts of the palace. The most severe damage was to the Niobe room, causing destruction to its frescoes. Florentines rallied to this tragedy, though, working endlessly to reopen the treasure trove of art.

 

Lines are typically quite long, especially in the busy season. Tickets can be reserved in advance, for a small fee.

 

The Galleria dell’Accademia displays many important paintings and sculptures, all of which are significantly overshadowed by Michelangelo’s magnificent David. The 17-foot tall tour de force was sculpted between 1501 and 1504 from a piece of leftover marble discarded by another artist. The sculpture was somewhat progressive at the time because it depicted David before his battle with Goliath, rather than after, which was much more common at the time. It stood in the Piazza della Signoria until 1873 when it was moved to the Galleria dell’Accademia out of concern for decay. It was placed beneath a rotunda built specifically for its display. It is considered today to be one of the finest sculptures every created.

 

The National Museum (Museo Nazionale del Bargello) operated as the Medici police headquarters during the Renaissance. It became a museum in 1865 and now displays some of the most important Renaissance sculptures. One of the most significant is Donatello’s bronze David, notable for being the first unsupported standing bronze work since the classical times. It also holds a second David by Michelangelo, sculpted some 30 years after his famous one in the Galleria dell’Accademia.

 

The Museo di San Marco is located in a former Dominican monastery, and it contains the works of the 15^th century Florentine painter, Fra Angelico. He worked under the patronage of Cosimo dei Medici, and he produced such works as The Annunciation, and The Last Judgment.

 

Adjacent to the Basilica of San Lorenzo, the Medici Chapels contain some of Michelangelo’s most important works. Lorenzo the Magnificent is buried near the Renaissance artist’s uncompleted Madonna and Child group. The famous tomb sculptures, Dawn, Dusk, Night, and Day can be seen here as well.

 

The Brunelleschi designed Palazzo Pitti was built in the mid-15^th century, and it served as one of the Medici family’s residences. Now it contains several museums, the most significant of which is the Galleria Palatina. There are paintings on display by Titan and Raphael. Some of the other museums in the Palazzo Pitti are the Museo degli Argenti, the Coach and Carriage Museum, and the Galleria del Costume. Behind the Pitti Palace are the famous Boboli Gardens, designed by the 16^th century landscape artist, Triboli.