The Uffizi Gallery (; it, Galleria degli Uffizi, italic=no, ) is a prominent
art museum
An art museum or art gallery is a building or space for the display of art, usually from the museum's own collection. It might be in public or private ownership and may be accessible to all or have restrictions in place. Although primarily con ...
located adjacent to the
Piazza della Signoria in the
Historic Centre of Florence in the region of
Tuscany, Italy. One of the most important Italian museums and the most visited, it is also one of the largest and best known in the world and holds a collection of priceless works, particularly from the period of the
Italian Renaissance.
After the ruling
House of Medici died out, their art collections were given to the city of Florence under the famous ''Patto di famiglia'' negotiated by
Anna Maria Luisa, the last Medici heiress. The Uffizi is one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth century, and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public, formally becoming a museum in 1865.
History
The building of the Uffizi complex was begun by
Giorgio Vasari in 1560 for
Cosimo I de' Medici so as to accommodate the offices of the Florentine magistrates, hence the name , "offices". The construction was later continued by
Alfonso Parigi
Alfonso Parigi the Younger (1606–1656) was an Italian architect and scenographer, the son of Giulio Parigi, and grandson of Alfonso Parigi the Elder.
He worked mainly in Florence, beginning at a very early age as his father's assistant. After t ...
and
Bernardo Buontalenti
Bernardo Buontalenti (), byname of Bernardo Delle Girandole ( 1531 – June 1608), was an Italian stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer and artist and inventor of italian ice cream.
Biography
Buontalenti was born in ...
; it was completed in 1581. The top floor was made into a gallery for the family and their guests and included their collection of Roman sculptures.
The ''cortile'' (internal courtyard) is so long, narrow and open to the
Arno at its far end through a
Doric screen that articulates the space without blocking it, that architectural historians treat it as the first regularized streetscape of Europe. Vasari, a painter and architect as well, emphasised its
perspective length by adorning it with the matching facades' continuous roof cornices, and unbroken cornices between storeys, as well as the three continuous steps on which the palace-fronts stand. The niches in the piers that alternate with columns of the
Loggiato filled with sculptures of famous artists in the 19th century.
The Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices and the Archivio di Stato, the state archive. The project was intended to display prime art works of the Medici collections on the
piano nobile; the plan was carried out by his son, Grand Duke
Francesco I. He commissioned the architect Buontalenti to design the
Tribuna degli Uffizi that would display a series of masterpieces in one room, including jewels; it became a highly influential attraction of a
Grand Tour. The octagonal room was completed in 1584.
Over the years, more sections of the palace were recruited to exhibit paintings and sculpture collected or commissioned by the
Medici.
For many years, 45 to 50 rooms were used to display paintings from the 13th to 18th century.
Modern times
Because of its huge collection, some of the Uffizi's works have in the past been transferred to other museums in Florence—for example, some famous
statue
A statue is a free-standing sculpture in which the realistic, full-length figures of persons or animals are carved or cast in a durable material such as wood, metal or stone. Typical statues are life-sized or close to life-size; a sculpture t ...
s to the
Bargello. A project was finished in 2006 to expand the museum's exhibition space some 6,000 metres
2 (64,000 ft
2) to almost 13,000 metres
2 (139,000 ft
2), allowing public viewing of many
artwork
A work of art, artwork, art piece, piece of art or art object is an artistic creation of aesthetic value. Except for "work of art", which may be used of any work regarded as art in its widest sense, including works from literature ...
s that had usually been in storage.
The Nuovi Uffizi (New Uffizi) renovation project which started in 1989 was progressing well in 2015 to 2017. It was intended to modernize all of the halls and more than double the display space. As well, a new exit was planned and the lighting, air conditioning and security systems were updated. During construction, the museum remained open, although rooms were closed as necessary with the artwork temporarily moved to another location. For example, the Botticelli rooms and two others with early Renaissance paintings were closed for 15 months but reopened in October 2016.
The major modernization project, New Uffizi, had increased viewing capacity to 101 rooms by late 2016 by expanding into areas previously used by the Florence State Archive.
The Uffizi hosted over two million visitors in 2016, making it the most visited art gallery in Italy.
In high season (particularly in July), waiting times can be up to five hours. Tickets are available on-line in advance, however, to significantly reduce the waiting time.
A new ticketing system is currently being tested to reduce queuing times from hours to just minutes.
The museum is being renovated to more than double the number of rooms used to display artwork.
Due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, the museum was closed for 150 days in 2020, and attendance plunged by 72 percent to 659,043. Nonetheless, the Uffizi was twenty-seventh in the
list of most-visited art museums in the world in 2020. Works from the Uffizi gallery collection are now available for remote viewing on Google Arts and Culture. The museum reopened in May 2021 following a renovation that included an addition of 14 new rooms and a display of additional 129 artworks, with the museum attempting to give more voice to historically underrepresented groups that include women and people of color.
Incidents
On 27 May 1993, the
Sicilian Mafia carried out a
car bomb
A car bomb, bus bomb, lorry bomb, or truck bomb, also known as a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED), is an improvised explosive device designed to be detonated in an automobile or other vehicles.
Car bombs can be roughly divided ...
explosion in
Via dei Georgofili which damaged parts of the palace and killed five people. The blast destroyed five pieces of art and damaged another 30. Some of the paintings were fully protected by bulletproof glass.
The most severe damage was to the
Niobe room and classical sculptures and
neoclassical interior, which have since been restored, although its
frescoes were damaged beyond repair.
Key works
The collection also contains some ancient sculptures, such as the ''
Arrotino
The ''Arrotino'' (Italian - the "Blade-Sharpener"), or formerly the ''Scythian'', thought to be a figure from a group representing the '' Flaying of Marsyas'' is a Hellenistic-Roman sculpture ( Pergamene school) of a man crouching to sharpen a ...
'', the ''
Two Wrestlers'' and the ''
Bust of Severus Giovanni''.
Gallery
See also
*
Collections of the Uffizi
References
External links
*
Virtual tour of the Uffiziprovided by
Google Arts & Culture
*
{{Authority control
*
1580s establishments the Grand Duchy of Tuscany
1581 establishments in Italy
1765 establishments in Italy
Art museums and galleries in Florence
Art museums established in 1765
Buildings and structures completed in 1581
National museums of Italy
Palaces in Florence
Renaissance architecture in Florence