Digital Editions
Newsletters
Subscribe
Digital Editions
Newsletters
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Art market
Museums & heritage
Exhibitions
Books
Podcasts
Columns
Technology
Adventures with Van Gogh
Exhibitions
news

Jeff Koons goes head-to-head with Michelangelo in Florence

To coincide with city's antiques biennial, US artist will unveil sculpture next to statue of David

Hannah McGivern
1 September 2015
Share

The Renaissance sculptures in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, including the replica of Michelangelo’s David, will soon have a shiny new neighbour: Jeff Koons’s Pluto and Proserpina (2010-13). The 11ft work in gold-coloured stainless steel will stand in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall and civic museum, from 25 September until 28 December. Inside, Koons’s Gazing Ball (Barberini Faun) (2013), from his series of plaster casts of Greco-Roman sculptures, will be presented in the Hall of Lilies, where Donatello’s original bronze Judith and Holofernes (around 1457-64) is on permanent display.

The presentation, organised by the Mus.e association for Florence’s civic museums, was the initiative of Fabrizio Moretti, the Old Master dealer and director of the city’s art and antiques fair, the Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato. With funding from Moretti Fine Art, David Zwirner and the Florence Chamber of Commerce, the event coincides with the opening of the Biennale’s 29th edition (26 September-4 October). Koons is due to attend as the guest of honour.

Meanwhile, the Galleria dell’Accademia, which houses the original David (1501-04), has announced an exhibition pairing works by Michelangelo and other Old Masters with pieces by ten contemporary artists: Koons, Marina Abramovic, Cai Guo-Qiang, Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama, Bruce Nauman, Richard Prince, Gerhard Richter and Cindy Sherman. The show is due to run from 14 June 2016 to 8 January 2017.

Exhibitions
Share
Subscribe to The Art Newspaper’s digital newsletter for your daily digest of essential news, views and analysis from the international art world delivered directly to your inbox.
Newsletter sign-up
Information
About
Contact
Cookie policy
Data protection
Privacy policy
Frequently Asked Questions
Subscription T&Cs
Terms and conditions
Advertise
Sister Papers
Sponsorship policy
Follow us
Instagram
Bluesky
LinkedIn
Facebook
TikTok
YouTube
© The Art Newspaper

Related content

Jeff Koonsnews
26 October 2018

Jeff Koons's balloons, basketballs and ballerinas to head to historic Oxford museum for solo show

“Miniature retrospective” at the Ashmolean will focus on recent works, such as the US artist’s Gazing Ball series

José da Silva
Exhibitionspreview
3 February 2023

Magnificent masterpieces by Donatello head to London's Victoria and Albert Museum

The first major UK exhibition dedicated to the radical Italian Renaissance master will also include important works from the museum's own collection

Alison Cole
News
28 October 2015

Florence Baptistery hauls down the scaffolding in time for Papal visit

€2m restoration of eight marble outer walls took 21 months

Hannah McGivern
Exhibitionsnews
27 October 2022

First major Donatello exhibition to come to UK after rave reviews in Italy

The Victoria and Albert Museum show next year will explore the life and legacy of the “driving force behind the Italian Renaissance”

José da Silva