It is a major exhibition of sculpture which closes out the season of exhibitions celebrating the VIIth centenary of the artist. Promoted by the National Committee, the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze, the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore and the Commune of Florence in cooperation with the University of Studies of Florence, it is curated by the art historian Enrica Neri Lusanna.
There are more than 100 works, many of which are collected in Florence, where Vasari and those following him attributed Arnolfo with the major monuments of that period: the church of Santa Croce, Palazzo Vecchio and the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore.
Along with other masterpieces on loan from Italy and abroad, there will also be important paintings, sculptures and goldworks, which will reconstruct the extraordinary artistic scene of the city during the years of Arnolfo. From a technical point of view the exhibition offers some excellent opportunities: to admire most of the works after their restoration; to compare elements from funereal or civic monuments made by Arnolfo during activity conducted in Rome and Umbria with the works which are pertinent to the Florentine period, including those which have been taken to other parts of Europe and overseas and which today are brought together for the occasion; to view the relationship between sculpture and architecture in the façade of the cathedral, destroyed in the Cinquecento; to highlight the close connection between Arnolfo and Giotto.
The exhibition will take place in the Museo dell'Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, where it is possible to admire masterpieces by Lorenzo Ghiberti, Luca della Robbia, Brunelleschi, Michelangelo and other important artists.
The city of Florence takes part to this event with several initiatives, discounts and facilitations for the visitors.
