Uffizi unveils new Vasari Auditorium and four galleries, acquires Schor masterpiece
In Florence, the Uffizi Galleries just opened a new Auditorium dedicated to Giorgio Vasari, along with four more exhibition spaces on the ground floor of the Vasari Corridor. This is part of the ongoing Nuovi Uffizi project that started in the 1970s and has been evolving since 2003. The new exhibition areas, which were previously used by Florentine magistracies, still reflect the original 16th-century design by Vasari. The auditorium has advanced audiovisual features and can function on its own or alongside the museum. Among the new spaces is the Sala dell'Arianna dormiente, displaying a Roman copy of a Hellenistic sculpture, and a room honoring architect Arata Isozaki. Additionally, the museum acquired Johan Paul Schor's large painting, which won "Most Beautiful Painting at the Fair" at the Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato. Director Eike Schmidt praised its importance in the context of Italian Baroque art and the Uffizi's role in European culture.
Key facts
- New Auditorium Vasari and four galleries inaugurated at Uffizi ground floor
- Nuovi Uffizi project dates to 1970s, execution began 2003
- Spaces originally housed Florentine magistracies (Conservatori di legge, Pupilli, Grascia)
- Auditorium named after Giorgio Vasari, preserves original 16th-century architecture
- Sala dell'Arianna dormiente displays Roman copy of Hellenistic sculpture from 3rd century BC
- Sala della Fondazione degli Uffizi exhibits eight late-16th-century marble seats from Palazzo Pitti
- One room dedicated to Arata Isozaki, winner of 1999 competition for Uffizi exit project
- Uffizi acquired Johan Paul Schor painting from 1664, awarded at Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato
- Painting measures 1.22 x 3.17 meters, depicts carnival procession of Prince Giovan Battista Borghese
- Eike Schmidt to leave Uffizi in 2020 to direct Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
Entities
Artists
- Giorgio Vasari
- Arata Isozaki
- Andrea Maffei
- Johan Paul Schor
- Cosimo I de' Medici
- Giovan Battista Borghese
Institutions
- Gallerie degli Uffizi
- Kunsthistorisches Museum
- Palazzo Pitti
- Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato
- Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio per Firenze, Prato e Pistoia
Locations
- Florence
- Italy
- Vienna
- Austria
- Rome
- Innsbruck
- Palazzo Corsini