Paintings, sculpture, prints and examples of goldsmithery make up the 200 circa masterpieces that can be admired in the exhibition on "The Mannerist Workshop". Variety and pride in 16th century Florentine art between the two Republics". Prepared by Antonio Natali, the exhibition (at the Uffizi until January 6th 1997) is part of the celebrations organized for the fifth centenary (1494-1994) of the birth of Jacopo Carucci, known as Pontormo, and Giovanni Battista di Jacopo, known as Rosso Fiorentino.
Michelangelo, the "Doni Tondo"
Its chronological itinerary starts in 1494, the year the Medici were thrown out of Florence, moves through the first Republic (1502-1512) and concludes in 1530, with the return of the Medici and the end of the second Republic. During this period we find artists like Pontormo and Rosso coming to the fore and, with them, an entire generation of artists who had the possibility of expressing themselves at a time of great renewal and creative autonomy.
The exhibition, divided into seven sections, offers an interesting itinerary that starts with an Annunciation by Botticelli, continues with some splendid Madonnas by Andrea del Sarto, the drawings Michelangelo and Leonardo carried out for the Battle of Anghiari, prints by Dürer and ends suggestively with the Halbard Bearer by Pontormo which, on loan from the Paul Getty Museum in Malibu, has come back to the city where it was painted especially for this occasion.
Most of the works in the exhibition come from Florentine museums and collections but also include loans from private collections and museums from all over the world, like the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the Museum of Fine Arts in Budapest and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Jacopo Pontormo, "Halbard Bearer" - Malibu, Paul Getty Museum
The actual location of the exhibition provides yet another reason to visit it. It has in fact been set up in fifteen rooms of the Uffizi, specially restored for the occasion, which until now have always been closed to the public. These rooms contained the State Archives from the mid nineteenth century and, before them, the laboratories of the semi-precious stone cutters and cabinet makers.
"The Mannerist Workshop. Variety and pride in 16th century Florentine art between the two Republics". Firenze, Uffizi Gallery until January 6th 1997 Hours 10am-6pm closed on Mondays.
