Caravaggio and the Caravaggesques in Florence
Thursday, May 20th, 2010
Medusa, circa 1596-98
Caravaggio
More than one hundred pieces of Caravaggio’s and Caravaggesque work will be on display at the Uffizi Gallery and the Palatine Gallery in the Pitti Palace during the Quattro-Centenial celebration of the artist’s life and death. Caravaggio’s work will be shown along with the work of those who influenced him as a painter and the work of those he influenced throughout his career.
For as popular as Caravaggio has become over the last decade, the museums and private collections of Florence have remained home to more Caravaggesque works than anywhere else in the world after Rome. The exhibition consists of these works as well as works acquired through numerous loans.
How did the Caravaggio’s and Caravaggesque work come to Florence?
When in Rome, Caravaggio was a frequent visitor to the Palazzo Firenze where Cardinal Del Monte was the ambassador to the city. Caravaggio would have become known to the Medici Grand Duke Ferdinand through him. The Bacchus and The Medusa were hanging in the Uffizi by the end of the 16th century. Others – only two or three – were in time purchased by the Grand Dukes who became early and staunch admirers of his work. Over the coming decades the Medici – especially Cosimo II – would continue to collect the work of both Caravaggio and the work of his many followers.
Caravaggio and the Caravaggesques
Exhibition Dates: May 22nd – October 17th 2010
The Uffizi Gallery and The Palatine Gallery at the Pitti Palace
Florence
