Eike Schmidt's Uffizi: Blockbuster Shows and Contemporary Art Strategy Under Fire

Eike Schmidt, director of the Uffizi Galleries since 2015, has pursued a dual mandate to modernize the museum and bridge ancient and contemporary art. His tenure, ending in November 2023, saw a series of blockbuster exhibitions featuring international names like Tony Cragg, Kiki Smith, Antony Gormley, and Cai Guo-Qiang in 2019, alongside earlier shows for Fritz Koenig (2018) and Helidon Xhixha (2017). However, Schmidt recently criticized Florence's cultural scene for neglecting contemporary art, targeting the Museo Novecento and its director Sergio Risaliti for what he called a "casual" selection of artists. The article, published on Artribune, lists all contemporary art exhibitions at the Uffizi under Schmidt, including less mainstream projects like Neo Rauch (2020) and Marya Kazoun (2023), questioning their curatorial rationale. Risaliti has rebutted Schmidt's claims. The piece highlights tensions between marketing-driven blockbusters and scholarly programming, as well as political friction within Italy's cultural system.