Bananas Hung on Thomas J. Price Sculpture in Florence Sparks Racism Debate

On March 26, 2025, two young individuals hung bananas on Thomas J. Price's sculpture 'Time Unfolding' in Piazza della Signoria, Florence, and were immediately stopped and fined by police. The sculpture, part of a curated exhibition by Sergio Risaliti and Museo Novecento Firenze, depicts a Black woman absorbed in her smartphone, challenging traditional monument iconography. Sergio Risaliti condemned the act as racist, stating it was not goliardia but 'the tip of an iceberg emerging from a putrid cultural and social sludge.' The incident occurred as Florence Mayor Sara Funaro was in Brussels signing the European Pillar of Social Rights commitment. Critics Johanne Affricot and Justin Randolph Thompson noted the predictable response to a Black female body in public space. The event has sparked broader reflection on racism, public art, and the current reactionary cultural climate in Italy.