O Palazzo Vecchio, in Florence, Italy, will host between October 18 and January 26, 2025, an exhibition on the relationship between Michelangelo (1475-1564), one of the greatest geniuses in the history of art, with power.
Featuring over 50 works including sculptures, paintings, drawings, autographed letters, and plaster casts, "Michelangelo and Power" also presents the celebrated bust of Brutus, a Roman military leader, exhibited at the venue for the first time.
To understand Michelangelo's various relationships with the powerful, the public will be able to see works such as a drawing of a naked torso seen from behind, a study for the Battle of Cascina, four drawings of fortifications executed by the artist during the siege of Florence and two projects for the San Lorenzo complex, one for the façade of the basilica and another for the Laurentian Library.
The works on display at the Palazzo Vecchio originate from various Italian and international institutions, such as the Gallerie degli Uffizi, the Bargello Museum and the Casa Buonarroti Foundation in Florence, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Collection Foundation in Spain, and the National Gallery of Ancient Art in Rome.
For the mayor of Florence, Sara Funaro, the exhibition gains importance “in a palace that, over the centuries, has seen history with a capital H and the power of a dynasty that also left an indelible mark on the contemporary world, the Medici dynasty”.
The exhibition's curator, Cristina Acidini, highlighted that “even the most famous works of art and the best-known documents can express new meanings when they are placed in a context that highlights certain aspects that are generally difficult to perceive”.
Michelangelo Buonarroti was a painter, sculptor, poet, anatomist and architect of the Italian Renaissance, and one of the greatest names in Western art. (HANDLE)
