Henry Moore in Florence

From 16 September 2022 to 31 March 2023 a tribute to the English master 50 years after the memorable exhibition at Forte di Belvedere

In September, Florence will once again become the capital of contemporary art thanks to Florence Art Week. After last year's success, which saw great artists from the international scene in the city, a rich calendar of cultural events is ready to invade the city from 16 to 24 September 2022.

Large Interior Form ph Alessandra Cinquemani

It begins with the exhibition Henry Moore in Florence, a homage 50 years after the memorable 1972 exhibition at Forte di Belvedere, scheduled from 16 September 2022 to 31 March 2023. After the major exhibitions Henry Moore. Il Disegno dello scultore and Henry Moore in Toscana, both hosted at the Museo Novecento in 2021, the city pays tribute to the English master with a project realised thanks to the renewed collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation and the BIAF - Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato di Firenze.
The exhibition, curated by Sebastiano Barassi, Head of Collections and Exhibitions of the Henry Moore Foundation and Sergio Risaliti, Director of the Museo Novecento, presents two monumental works, traced within the great sculptural production of Henry Moore .

From 16 September 2022 to 31 March 2023, Family Group and Large Interior Form will be exhibited respectively in two of the city's symbolic locations: Piazza della Signoria and, exceptionally, on the churchyard of the Abbey of San Miniato al Monte, in dialogue with Florence's historical-artistic heritage. The exhibition will last until 31 March 2023 and joins those already held in previous years that have seen art with temporary dialogue with the city's great historical and artistic heritage, such as those of Fabre and Koons, Fisher and Vezzoli. The exhibition also marks a renewed collaboration with La Biennale Internazionale dell'Antiquariato.

Family Group Henry Moore al Forte di Belvedere, 1972. Ph. credits Alberta Pezzele

In conjunction with the exhibition of these two sculptures, the Sala d'Arme of Palazzo Vecchio will host the exhibition Back to Moore. Forte Belvedere 1972, from 22 September to 3 October 2022 an exhibition of historical images collected from the personal archives of all those who, from all over Italy, visited the exhibition. A collection of memories collected by the Museo Novecento through a contest launched in local newspapers and continued on the museum's social channels, which will make it possible to relive that event that was so emblematic for the city of Florence, for the art world far beyond national borders and for the community as a whole.

Henry Moore al Forte di Belvedere, 1972. Ph. credits Roberta Resi e Luigi Ronconi

That exhibition, in a year like 1972 where contemporary art was still not so popular, was a real success that today Sergio Risaliti, director of the Museo Novecento, describes as follows: 'Florence was coming out of the post-flood era: it was a great opportunity to go beyond the heavy legacy of its past and open up to new stimuli. It was a great opportunity, to which visitors from all over Europe responded. A chance that Florence unfortunately did not fully seize. A monumental work by the English artist was in fact purchased by the neighbouring city of Prato'.

Large Square Form with Cut 1969-71, Rio Serra marble, on exhibition at the Forte di Belvedere, Florence, Italy, 1972 photo: Henry Moore Archive Reproduced by permission of The Henry Moore Foundation