Q.
What is it about the Uffizi Gallery that drives art lovers to return to Florence again and again?

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A.

The Uffizi Gallery houses an extraordinary collection of paintings, with masterpieces from Boticelli to Michelangelo, Caravaggio to Giotto, Leonardo to Raffaello.

This world-renowned gallery sits in the first two floors of a building that was commissioned by Cosimo I de’Medici, the First Grand Duke of Tuscany, and designed by artist and architect Giorgio Vasari. Vasari is perhaps best known for his writings – and elaborate imaginings – about Renaissance artists. His 16th Century Lives of the Most Eminent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects was a weighty tome dedicated to de’Medici.

When Vasari first designed this Florentine landmark, it was for  the ‘Uffizi’, or the ‘offices’ that housed Florence’s legal and administrative staff. Over time, Medici asked Vasari to create passageways to connect the Uffizi to Palazzo Vecchio and, through the Vasari Corridor, to Pitti Palace. The world famous Boboli Gardens sit behind Pitti Palace.

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Leonardo da Vinci. The Annunciation. ~1472

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Raphael. Madonna of the Goldfinch. 1505-06

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Sandro Botticelli. The Birth of Venus.  1483-85

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Bronzino. Portrait of Eleonora di Toledo with her son Giovanni. 1544-45

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Pietro Perugino. Portrait of Francesco delle Opere. 1494

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Federico Barocci. Madonna of the People. 1579

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Pierro della Francesca. Portraits of the Duke and Duchess of Urbino, Federico da Montefeltro and Battista Sforza. ~1465

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Gerard van Honthorst. Adoration of the Child. ~1620

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Hans Memling. Portrait of an Unknown Man with a Letter. ~ 1485-89

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Rosso Fiorentino. Musical Angel.  1522

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The Uffizi’s current exhibits include: ‘The Medici: Mugello Folk. Family portraits from the Gallerie degli Uffizi’. This focus on the founder family is scheduled to run until February 6th, 2024.

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www.justcurious.ca

Header: Bronzino. Madonna Panciatichi. ~1540