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| The Vasari Corridor and Uffizi Gallery |
The Uffizi Gallery| Galleria degli Uffizi |
| The Uffizi Gallery (Italian: Galleria degli Uffizi) is one of the oldest and most famous art museums of the Western world. Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices"). Construction was continued to Vasari's design by Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti and ended in 1581. The cortile (internal courtyard) is so long and narrow, and open to the Arno River at its far end through a Doric screen that articulates the space without blocking it, that architectural historians[2] treat it as the first regularized streetscape of Europe. Vasari, a painter as well as architect, emphasized the perspective length by the matching facades' continuous roof cornices, and unbroken cornices between storeys and the three continuous steps on which the palace-fronts stand. The niches in the piers that alternate with columns were filled with sculptures of famous artists in the 19th century. The Palazzo degli Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices, the Tribunal and the state archive (Archivio di Stato). The project that was planned by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany to arrange that prime works of art in the Medici collections on the piano nobile was effected by Francis I of Tuscany, who commissioned from Buontalenti the famous Tribuna degli Uffizi that united a selection of the outstanding masterpieces in the collection in an ensemble that was a star attraction of the Grand Tour. Over the years, further parts of the palace evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici family or commissioned by them. According to Vasari, who was not only the architect of the Uffizi but also the author of Lives of the Artists, published in 1550 and 1568, artists such as Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo gathered at the Uffizi "for beauty, for work and for recreation."[3] After the house of Medici was extinguished, the art treasures remained in Florence by terms of the famous Patto di famiglia negotiated by Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heiress; it formed one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public. Because of its huge collection, some of its works have in the past been transferred to other museums in Florence — for example, some famous statues, to the Bargello. A project is currently underway to expand the museum's exhibition space, allow ing public viewing of many artworks that have usually been in storage. In 1993, a car bomb exploded in Via dei Georgofili and damaged parts of the palace, killing five people. The most severe damage was to the Niobe room, the classical sculptures and neoclassical interior of which have been restored, although its frescoes were damaged beyond repair. The identity of the bomber or bombers are unknown, although it was almost certainly attributable to the Sicilian Mafia who were engaged in a period of terrorism at that time. Today, the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence. In high season (particularly in July), waiting times can be up to five hours. Visitors who reserve a ticket in advance have a substantially shorter wait. |
If we follow the natural layout of the rooms, we enter the large rooms that display the great altarpieces of Cimabue, Giotto, Duccio di Buoninsegna, the first remarkable examples of western painting, followed by the remarkable works of 14th century Siennese artists, such as Simone Martini and the brothers Piero and Ambrogio Lorenzetti and the pupils of Giotto. The following rooms display some fine examples of the lnternational Gothic style: the Adoration of the Magi by Gentile da Fabriano and another one by Lorenzo Monaco, before actually reaching the most important rooms of the museum that are dedicated to the early Renaissance. These rooms exhibit works by Masaccio, Paolo Uccello, Domenico Veneziano, Piero della Francesca, Beato Angelico, followed by the elegant Madonnas of Filippo Lippi, by the precious panels of the brothers Piero and Antonio del Pollaiolo to end with the mythological allegories and religious paintings of Sandro Botticelli. |
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Johann Zoffany, The Tribuna of the Uffizi, (1772-78) |
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| The Tribuna of the Uffizi (1772–8) by Johann Zoffany is a painting of the north-east section of the Tribuna room. This room was constructed in the latter part of the 16th century to house the treasures of the Medici collection. The room is still one of the major focal points of the Uffizi collection. Johann Zoffany was a German born painter who had become a successful in London. One of his principal patrons was the Royal family. Queen Charlotte had sent Zoffany to Florence where he had agreed to paint the Tribuna of the Uffizi. In the summer of 1772 Zoffany left London for Florence with the commission from Queen Charlotte to paint ‘the Florence Gallery’. The group of men in the center of the painting are arranged around the Venus of Urbino by Titian. This Venetian work finished in 1538 played a major role in establishing the female nude as one of the central subject matters in Western painting since the Renaissance. |
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| On the ground floor the remains of the old Romanesque church of S. Pier Scheraggio partly destroyed by Vasari to build the Uffizi, have been recently restored; the frescoes of ''Famous Men'' by Andrea del Castagno (1421-c. 1457) are exhibited here. |  Andrea del Castagno, Dante Alighieri, from the Cycle of Famous Men and Women, c. 1450. Detached fresco. 247 x 153 cm. Galleria degli Uffizi, Firenze. The picture shows one of the three Tuscan poets represented in the cycle. |
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| Masaccio and Masolino da Panicale, The Madonna and Child with Saint Anne | ||
| The Uffizi buildings also house other important collections: the Contini Bonacossi Collection and the Collection of Prints and Drawings (Gabinetto Disegni). At the beginning of the Twentieth century Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi returned to Italy from Spain with his wife Vittoria and two children Augusto Alessandro and Vittorina. While in Spain he was highly successful in the antique trade and began what was to become one of the largest private collections of paintings, furniture, ceramics and statues. Upon his death, his children Alessandro and Vittorina bequeathed the central part of this exceptional collection to the State. Today the Contini Bonacossi donation is displayed in ten rooms which are part of the Uffizi Gallery, though not directly connected to the main building. Visits are only by appointment. |
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The Vasari Corridor |
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The visit to the Gallery could ideally end with another section: that is the famous Vasari Corridor, built by Vasari in 1565. The Corridor joins the Uffizi to Palazzo Vecchio, crosses the river Arno above Ponte Vecchio and is connected with Palazzo Pitti and the Boboli Gardens. Recently restored after the explosion of the bomb, the corridor now displays over seven hundred works comprising mamly the Important group of Self-portraits (from Andrea del Sarto to Marc Chagall). At present the corridor can be visited only by groups and by reserving the visit ahead. |
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In its Uffizi section the Vasari Corridor is used to exhibit the museum's famous collection of self-portraits |
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| The Vasari Corridor was built in 5 months by order of Grand Duke Cosimo I de' Medici in 1564, to the design of Giorgio Vasari. It was commissioned in connection with the marriage of Cosimo's son, Francesco, with Johanna of Austria. The idea of an enclosed passageway was motivated by the Grand Duke's desire to move freely between his residence and the government palace, when, like most monarchs of the period, he felt insecure in public, in his case especially because he had replaced the Republic of Florence. The meat market of Ponte Vecchio was moved to avoid its smell reaching into the passage, its place being taken by the goldsmith shops that still occupy the bridge. The Corridor was restored and reopened to the public in 1973 but can only be visited by appointment or to groups (the entrance is between rooms 25 and 34). Apart from the fact that the visitor can enjoy some magnificent and little-known views over the city from its round windows, the passageway contains over 1000 paintings, all dating from the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as the important collection of Self-portraits by some of the most famous masters of painting of the 16th to the 20th century. This collection, unique in the world, was created by Cardinal Leopoldo de' Medici in the mid 17th century, a golden century for collections, and receives regular additions to this day. It displays self-portraits by Andrea del Sarto, Beccafumi, Bernini, Annibale Carracci, Guido Reni, Salvator Rosa, Rubens, Canova, Hayez, Corot, Ingres, Delacroix, Ensor and many others.The Corridor was built in 1564 by Giorgio Vasari in only five months at the time of the wedding between Francesco I de' Medici and Giovanna of Austria; it served to link up the Pitti Palace, where the Grand Duke resided, with the Uffizi (or offices) where he worked. |
 The West Corridor of the Gallery, heads towards the Arno and then, raised up by huge arches, follows the river as far as the Ponte Vecchio, which it crosses by passing on top of the shops. |
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| [1] In early August 2007, Florence was caught with a large rainstorm, and the Gallery was partially flooded, with water leaking through the ceiling, and the visitors had to be evacuated. There was a much more significant flood in 1966 which damaged most of the art collections in Florence severely, including the Uffizi. The Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence | The Flood of 1966 This dramatic event in the recent history of the city of Florence is portrayed in the online exhibition based on the comprehensive inventory of the photo library. Significant is that the photographs are much more than mere witnesses of the catastrophe. The photographic eye reveals unexpected perspectives of the devastation and losses. The stunned amazement and horror of the observer of the destructive forces of nature are expressed in these photographic works. The photographer Ivo Bazzechi, who took most of the photographs exhibited here, recorded his impressions during the flood. The photographs record the situation during and after the catastrophe, in which immense damage was inflicted on streets, plazas, buildings, and works of art. In particular, the primary aim of the collection of photographs shown here is to highlight the damage and destruction inflicted on works of art, such as those in the Santa Maria Novella and Santa Croce churches, or inflicted on individual works, such as the almost completely destroyed Crucifix by Cimabue. The symbol of the devastating effects of the flood is the almost complete destruction of the huge Crucifix by Cimabue. The crucifix, painted in distemper on wood (around 1272) by one of the most significant painters of the 13th century, had lost the majority of its layer of paint. The first action taken was to move this work of art from the former Santa Croce refectory to the Limonaia in the Giardino di Boboli. In 1976, the Crucifix underwent a major restoration, during which it was possible to conserve the remains of the layer of paint. The exhibition in the Kunsthistorisches Institut documents the flood’s immediate aftermath and the ramifications for the city and its artistic treasures. The first section depicts the damage and destruction suffered by the works of art themselves. The second selection illustrates the devastation of the city and its streets, alleys, squares and houses. The majority of the exhibition’s 80 photographs, taken by Ivo Bazzechi, date from the dramatic days following the flood. [2]
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 View onto the Baptistery and the Loggia del Bigallo (Photographer Bazzechi) |
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| [3] The Tribuna of the Uffizi (1772–8) by Johann Zoffany is a painting of the north-east section of the Tribuna room in the Uffizi. The Tribuna of the Uffizi is an octagonal room in the Uffizi gallery, designed by Bernardo Buontalenti for Francesco I de' Medici in the late 1580s. The most important antiquities and High Renaissance and Bolognese paintings from the Medici collection were and still are displayed here. In 1737 the Grand Duchess Anna Maria Luisa de' Medici ceded the collection to the Tuscan government, and by the 1770s the Uffizi (and in particular the Tribuna) was the hub for Grand Tourists visiting Florence. Johann Zoffany's famous painting of it (commissioned by Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom in 1772) portrays the north-east section, but varies the arrangement and brings in works not normally displayed in the Tribuna (e.g., Raphael’s Madonna della Sedia). Admiring the works of art are connoisseurs, diplomats and visitors to Florence, all identifiable. Johann Zoffany was a German born painter who had become a successful in London. One of his principal patrons was the Royal family. Queen Charlotte had sent Zoffany to Florence where he had agreed to paint the Tribuna of the Uffizi. Zoffany left London for Florence with a commission from Queen Charlotte to paint ‘the Florence Gallery’. (Neither she nor her husband George III ever visited Italy in person.) Still working on the painting late in 1777, he only finally returned to England in 1779. Zoffany has varied the arrangement of the artworks and introduced others from elsewhere in the Medici collection. He gained special privileges, with the help of George, 3rd Earl Cowper (1738-80), and Sir Horace Mann, 1st Baronet (1706-86), such as having seven paintings, including Raphael’s Madonna della Sedia, temporarily brought in from the Pitti Palace so that he could paint them in situ in the Tribuna. In thanks Zoffany included a portrait of Cowper looking at his recent acquisition, Raphael's Niccolini-Cowper Madonna (Cowper hoped to sell it on to George III - it is now in the Washington National Gallery of Art), with Zoffany holding it (to the left of the Dancing Faun). The unframed Samian Sibyl on the floor was acquired for the Medici collection in 1777 - it was a workshop copy of the pendant to Guercino’s Libyan Sibyl, recently bought by George III, and may be intended as a compliment to him. All the connoisseurs, diplomats and visitors to Florence portrayed are identifiable, making the painting a combination of the British eighteenth-century conversation piece or informal group portrait genre, with that of the predominantly Flemish seventeenth-century tradition of gallery views and wunderkammers. However, this inclusion of so many recognisable portraits led to criticism at the time by Zoffany's royal patrons, and by Horace Walpole, who called it ‘a flock of travelling boys, and one does not know nor care whom’.) |
Study of the painting has led to the identification of the gentlemen and the works of art on display. | |||
 Official website | www.uffizi.firenze.it Museum expansion project official website - The New Uffizi | www.nuoviuffizi.it The project for the "New Uffizi gallery", which is already underway, will significantly alter the original layout of the museum, doubling the exhibition rooms. Thanks to this new arrangement it will be possible to distribute more evenly works that are now concentrated in a few rooms, exhibit paintings that are now stored in the gallery's warehouses or include whole collections that had to be displayed elsewhere, like the Contini Bonacossi collection (see below), due to lack of space. It is too early to foresee the exact layout of the new gallery, althongh it is certain that the collections will be arranged in chronological order and by schools. |
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This article incorporates material from the Wikipedia article Uffizi published under the GNU Free Documentation License. |
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Podere Santa Pia |
Podere Santa Pia, garden |
The Maremma and Monte Christo |
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Villa La Pietra, near Florence |
Santa Croce, Firenze |
Siena, Duomo |
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Palazzo Medici Riccardi, Florence |
Piazza della Santissima Annunziata in Florence |
Florence, Duomo |
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