Turnabout, the Hidden Side of the Collections. The 13th edition of the “I mai visti” exhibition series. Masterpieces from the Uffizi storage

The exhibition reveals through forty works the stories contained in the verso of each object, a hidden part which is almost never visible.

Amazing discoveries as other paintings, sketches, drafts of paintings, poems, handwritten notes, numbers of old inventories, tags for exhibits or certificates of ownership and much more are revealed in this interesting temporary exhibit in the Sala delle Poste Reali at the Uffizi.

The exhibition promoted by the Friends of the Uffizi and curated by Giovanna Giusti with the contribution of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, is part of the cycle “I mai visti”, which every year presents pieces of the collection of the Florentine Museum little known to the general public.

The selection of works unveils to the visitor hidden details and mysterious numbers, which once deciphered, make an important contribution in clarifying the path of the artworks present in the collection.

The exhibition, consisting of paintings, antique marbles, tiles, a cabinet and an altar, offers a double vision of the works, presenting the front and back. The signs that these masterpieces often hide in areas not visible to the public give away important clues about the past of the artwork and its journey through the collections.

Among the works from the 15th century, the scene of the Annunciation is painted on the back of the boards of the noble portraits of the Baroncelli, while in the Resurrection of Lazarus a triptych by Nicholas Froment, once the panels are closed you can admire the Madonna and Child along with the patrons of the work.