Uffizi launches new digital archive of entire collection online

The Uffizi Galleries in Florence have launched a new digital archive, making their entire collection accessible online. The archive, developed in partnership with Indiana University, offers high-definition images that can be zoomed, illuminated, and viewed from multiple angles. It includes paintings and sculptures from the Vasarian Complex, Palazzo Pitti, and the Boboli Gardens. A major focus is the classical statuary collection of over 1,000 marbles, with about half already scanned via photogrammetric 3D mapping over the past three years. Future plans include digitizing the grotesque frescoes in the first corridor of the gallery. The digital mapping also aids in monitoring surface degradation. Director Eike Schmidt noted that the Uffizi was among the most advanced institutions in technology use in the 1990s, and the new platform builds on earlier scientific databases. The museum's Instagram account, which surpassed 150,000 followers, has grown 50% since the start of the year, making it the most followed museum in Italy. Schmidt attributes this success to a bilingual (Italian and English) daily posting of collection images with historical-artistic interpretations and poetry.