Uffizi
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Between the Uffizi Gallery's two wings at night. |
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Exquisite ceiling paintings in the main corridor |
The
Uffizi Gallery (
Italian:
Galleria degli Uffizi) is a
palace or
palazzo in
Florence, holding one of the oldest and most famous
art museums in the world. It is located at .
Building of the palace was commenced in 1560 by
Giorgio Vasari for
Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates â€" hence the name
uffizi, meaning offices. Construction work ended in 1581. Over the years, parts of the palace evolved into a storage place for many of the works of art collected by the
Medici family. After the decline of the Medici, the art treasures remained in Florence, forming one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors on request since the 16th century and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public.
Because of its huge collection, some of its works have in the past been transferred to other museums in Florence, such as some famous
statues to the
Bargello. A project is currently under way to expand the exhibition space of the museum from some 6,000 metres² (64,000 ft²) to almost 13,000 metres² (139,000 ft²) by 2006, allowing public viewing of many artworks usually in storage.
In 1993, a car bomb exploded in Via dei Georgofili and damaged parts of the palace, killing five people. The most severe damage was to the
Niobe room, the classical sculptures and
neoclassical interior of which have been restored, although its
frescoes were beyond repair. The cause has never been cleared up, although some suspect the
Mafia.
Today, the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence. In high season (particularly in July) the waiting times can be up to five hours. Visitors who reserved a ticket in advance have a significantly shorter waiting time.
In the Hollywood movie
Hannibal the museum plays a significant role, being the place where Hannibal Lecter has stowed himself after escaping from prison (in
The Silence of the Lambs), and where he murders two more of his victims. The style of the deaths mirrors the work of Dante and Caravaggio, the presence of both of which are strongly felt in the Uffizi.
Here is only a small selection from the world-class collection of paintings:
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Cimabue (
MaestĂ )
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Duccio (
MaestĂ )
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Giotto (
The Ognissanti Madonna,
Badia Polyptych)
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Simone Martini (
The Annunciation)
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Paolo Uccello (
The Battle of San Romano)
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Piero della Francesca (
Diptych of Duke Federico da Montefeltro and Duchess Battista Sforza of Urbino)
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Fra Filippo Lippi (
Madonna with Child and Two Angels)
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Sandro Botticelli (
Primavera,
The Birth of Venus,
The Adoration of the Magi and others)
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Hugo van der Goes (
The Portinari Triptych)
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Leonardo da Vinci (
The Annunciation,
The Adoration of the Magi)
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Piero di Cosimo (
Perseus liberating Andromeda)
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Albrecht DĂĽrer (
The Adoration of the Magi)
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Michelangelo (
The Doni Tondo)
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Raphael (
Madonna of the Goldfinch,
Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi)
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Titian (
Flora,
Venus of Urbino)
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Parmigianino (
The Madonna of the Long Neck)
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Caravaggio (
Bacchus,
The Sacrifice of Isaac,
Medusa)
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Andrea del Verrocchio (
The Baptism of Christ)
See also
:Category:Collections of the Uffizi.
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Palazzo degli Uffizi, Florence virtual reality movie and pictures
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Uffizi gallery*
Satellite image from Google Maps
