Bill Viola's Electronic Renaissance Illuminates Palazzo Strozzi

Palazzo Strozzi in Florence presents 'Bill Viola. Rinascimento Elettronico', a major retrospective spanning over 40 years of the video artist's career. Curated by Kira Perov and Arturo Galansino, the exhibition features 26 works from the 1970s to the present. Viola's early experiences in Florence are highlighted through juxtapositions with Renaissance masters like Pontormo, Masolino, Paolo Uccello, and Lucas Cranach. Notably, 'The Greeting' (1995) is shown alongside Pontormo's 'Visitation' (1528/1529), which inspired it. The show extends beyond Palazzo Strozzi to multiple Tuscan institutions: videos are installed at the Uffizi, Museo di Santa Maria Novella, Museo della Collegiata di Sant'Andrea in Empoli, and Museo dell'Opera del Duomo, where Viola's works dialogue with Donatello's 'Maddalena Penitente' and Michelangelo's 'Pietà Bardini'. A combined ticket grants access to the exhibition, the Baptistery of San Giovanni, and the Museo dell'Opera del Duomo. In Arezzo, the Galleria Ivan Bruschi hosts an additional Viola piece from May 6. A conference in Carmignano on May 16 further explores the Pontormo connection. The exhibition runs until July 23, 2017, and includes educational programs for diverse audiences, including those with Alzheimer's, disabilities, and autism.