Roman busts; testimonies of ancient art and culture

The Uffizi hosts the eleventh edition of the “I Mai Visti” (never seen before) series with the exhibition entitled Unveiled Faces. Once again, the organisers of the exhibition have delved into the Uffizi’s storage rooms and present works hardly ever seen by the public in a temporary exhibit.

The exhibition brings together 44 Roman marble busts and sculptures of emperors, empresses and unknown private individuals that were among the Medici’s art collection in the fifteenth century. Presented alongside the selection of busts are 23 works (paintings and drawings), portraits and self-portraits that illustrate how great the interest in the antique was among the artists, while at the same time also revealing direct references to the heads themselves.

The exhibition gives the visitors the opportunity to admire a central segment of the collection of classical sculptures belonging to the grand-ducal collections; that of the portraits of emperors and private citizens which have always been displayed at intervals along the corridors of the Uffizi.

The Uffizi’s second floor continues to be home to the Medici’s large collection of Roman and classic sculptures and busts, but the present display shows works according to an eighteenth century setup. Many portraits and busts from the villas were put into storage in the late 1990s. The exhibit is a wonderful chance to see some of these “forgotten” works of art as well as to highlight how important they were between the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries in Europe when there was a passion for Classical civilization and ancient cultures.

 

Teresa Arizzara, Autoritratto di Teresa Arizzarra, sec. XVIII, olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria degli  Uffizi, DepositiGiovanni Battista Ortolani Damon (1750 ca. - 1789), Autoritratti di Giovanni Battista Damon  Ortolani, 1789, olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, DepositiLavinia Fontana (Bologna 1552 - Roma 1614), Autoritratto di Lavinia Fontana, sec. XVI secolo  (1579), olio su rame. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, DepositiArte romana, Ritratto di Antinoo, 130 d.C, marmo microcristallino/scultura. Firenze, Galleria  degli Uffizi, DepositiArte romana, Ritratto di fanciullo, secondo quarto II d.C., coronato marmo microcristallino/  scultura. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, DepositiAttribuito a Cristoforo Terzi (Capradosso 1884 – Rieti 1971), Autoritratto di  Cristoforo Terzi (?), sec. XVIII secolo (1720), olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi,  DepositiAttribuito a Cristoforo Terzi (Capradosso 1884 – Rieti 1971), Autoritratto di  Cristoforo Terzi (?), sec. XVIII secolo (1720), olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi,  DepositiDomenico Corvi (Viterbo 1721 - Roma 1803), Autoritratto di Domenico Corvi, 1785  ca., olio su tela. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, DepositiGiuseppe Macpherson (Firenze 1726 - 1780), Autoritratto di Giuseppe MacPherson, 1778,  acquerello su pergamena. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi, DepositiGiorgio Vasari (Arezzo 1511 - Firenze 1574), La Fucina di Vulcano, sec. XVI secolo (1563- 1565), olio su rame. Firenze, Galleria degli Uffizi
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Unveiled faces. Antique and passion for antiquity. The 11th edition of the “I mai visti” exhibition series. Masterpieces from the Uffizi storage

Uffizi Gallery, Sala delle Reali Poste, Florence

15 Dicember 2011 – 29 January 2012

Exhibition curated by Fabrizio Paolucci e Valentina Conticelli

Exhibition catalogue published by Sillabe (available only in Italian)

Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze; Galleria degli Uffizi, Amici degli Uffizi, MondoMostre, Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, with the support of BassmArt, ATAF, Unicoop Firenze