Broken: Palazzo Strozzi Explores 4,500 Years of Fragmented Art
"Broken," an exhibition opening on 25 September at Palazzo Strozzi in Florence, showcases 80 works that encompass over 4,500 years of history, featuring both ancient artifacts and modern art. Curated by Claude Douglas Dickerson and Andrew Sears, the idea for the exhibition stemmed from a colleague's comment about fragments at the NGA, which was revisited during the Covid-19 lockdowns. Notable pieces include a copper head of the Buddhist Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (AD 700-800), a bust of Benito Mussolini (1923), and Michelangelo's terracotta Model of a Nude Woman (circa 1533). The exhibition also reflects on the effects of the 1966 flood in Florence on the art world. Following its run in Florence, it will be displayed at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, from 13 March to 27 June 2027.
Key facts
- Broken opens at Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, from 25 September to 24 January 2027.
- The exhibition travels to the National Gallery of Art, Washington, DC, from 13 March to 27 June 2027.
- It features 80 works spanning more than 4,500 years of global history.
- Curated by Claude Douglas Dickerson with Andrew Sears.
- Includes a copper head of Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara (around AD700-800), a bust of Benito Mussolini (1923), and a 2023 Francesco Vezzoli pastiche.
- Features Michelangelo's terracotta Model of a Nude Woman (around 1533) and a neo-Hittite sculpture (around 1000BC) reconstructed after Second World War bombing.
- Loans include a fragment of a right hand with a pointing finger from Rome's Capitoline Museums and an ancient Mesoamerican figure (around AD150-250) from Mexico's Museo Nacional de Antropología.
- A section is devoted to Florence's 1966 flood, which killed 35 people and damaged countless artworks.
Entities
Artists
- Claude Douglas Dickerson
- Andrew Sears
- Francesco Vezzoli
- Michelangelo
- Benito Mussolini
- Constantine the Great
- Arturo Galansino
Institutions
- National Gallery of Art
- Palazzo Strozzi
- Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts
- Capitoline Museums
- Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Musée Guimet
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Washington, DC
- United States
- Rome
- Mexico
- Syria