Exploring Fragmented Art History
Florence Exhibition Explores 4,500 Years of Fragmented Art History
Anonymous
Florence is hosting two exhibitions exploring different sides of art history. “Broken,” featuring 80 works spanning more than 4,500 years, examines damaged artworks and pieces made to appear fragmented; after opening at Palazzo Strozzi, it will travel in a modified form to the National Gallery of Art in Washington. A separate show at Palazzo Medici Riccardi brings together about 150 works to explore the experimental and visionary character of 16th-century European Mannerism, from Dürer to Parmigianino.
Key Points
1
“Broken” includes works with strikingly different histories and dates, among them a copper head of the Buddhist Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara from around AD 700–800, a 1923 bust of Benito Mussolini and a 2023 sculpture by Francesco Vezzoli modeled on an ancient work.
2
The exhibition distinguishes between objects damaged by iconoclasm, vandalism, war or natural disasters and works that artists intentionally created to look fragmented.
3
The idea for “Broken” grew out of a colleague’s suggestion to curate an exhibition about fragments; Claude Douglas Dickerson returned to the concept while planning projects during the Covid-19 lockdowns. He curated the show with Andrew Sears, the National Gallery of Art’s assistant curator of northern European paintings.
4
Palazzo Strozzi director Arturo Galansino said the National Gallery of Art chose the Florence museum for its ability to host “complex, highly scholarly shows.”
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
17
Articles
10
Reach
27
A
AnonymousAuthor
