EXHIBITION/ I love Lego
January 27 – June 13
Lego wonderland
The entertaining I Love Lego exhibition arrives at Pontedera’s PALP Palazzo Pretorio. With over a million bricks in a kaleidoscope of colours, the show charms and cheers with the creative constructions that turn toys into art. Play, have fun and discover with the six dioramas that vary from pirates to Ancient Rome. Architectural and engineering masterpieces are rendered in Lego form with detailed sets constructed with the help of group of enthusiastic collectors in partnership with Legolize, a humorous platform that creates comics using LEGO founded by Mattia Marangoni, Samuele Rovituso and Pietro Alcaro. Specific installations will “invade” the existing dioramas with trademark humour and flair. Perfect for fun, fans and families, booking a ticket in advance is recommended. The exhibition will be open from Monday to Friday, 10am to 6pm and tickets cost from 6-10 euro. Please check the latest Covid-19 restrictions before travelling.
Palazzo Pretorio,
Pontedera, Pisa
VIRTUAL/ Dentro La Crusca, Dento l’Italiano
February to October, 2021
Founder of the Academy, Lionardo Salviati, played by actor Francesco Gori
Virtual visits to the Accademia della Crusca will be held between February and October 2021 as the founding father of the Italian language academy, Lionardo Salviati, is played by actor Francesco Gori. Coordinated by Delia Ragionieri and conducted by the Friends of the Accademia della Crusca Association, with support from Unicoop Firenze, Dentro La Crusca, Dentro l’Italiano takes viewers through the academy’s headquarters, welcomed by an expert linguist onsite, who will guide you along one of the itineraries specifically prepared for children, adults, schools and an international audience. The institution, founded in 1583, remains a polestar for research into the Italian language. Visitors can discover the most significant areas of the Crusca, including the Medici Villa of Castello with its magnificent gardens, the library with its wealth of valuable texts, and the historical archive as well as the Sala delle Pale. The free virtual visits will be held in Italian, but tours in English and French are also available.
FILM/ Kibaka Florence for Young 2021 – African Cinema Festival
February 15
Yomeddine cinelapsus
The free, day-long and virtual African Cinema festival will be hosted on the PiùCompagnia platform, featuring five award-winning titles, events and insights with Afro-European directors, actors and writers. Formed in 2011 to present cinema created by African and international directors, multifaceted African culture is depicted in the varied line-up. In the Kimbundu language, spoken by the Bantu ethno-linguistic group in north-central Angola, kibaka means “chair”, referring to the ancient custom of the tribe’s elders telling stories in front of an audience of seated young people to pass on the traditions of the land and their ancestors.
EXHIBITION / Henry Moore: The Sculptor’s Drawing
Until July 18
Drawing by Henry Moore
Almost 50 years since the memorable exhibition held at the Forte di Belvedere in 1972, the works of Henry Moore return to Florence. The Museo Novecento pays homage to him with a monographic show organized in collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation, which concentrates on a central aspect of his art: the relationship between drawing and sculpture. Henry Moore: The Sculptor’s drawing, curated by Sebastiano Barassi, head of Henry Moore Collections and Exhibitions, and Sergio Risaliti, artistic director of the Museo Novecento, is organized in collaboration with the Henry Moore Foundation. A substantial selection of drawings, graphics and sculptures emphasize the graphic production of this key figure in contemporary sculpture, who assimilated primitivist and non-European sculpture, historical avant-garde and the great Italian tradition of Renaissance masters active in Florence and Tuscany.
Museo Novecento,
piazza Santa Maria Novella 10, Florence
PHOTOGRAPHY/ Mutazioni by Lucia Damerino
Until February 28
Chiffon, silk, lace and taffetta forever floating
Photographs by Lucia Damerino make up the latest show titled Mutazioni (Mutations) at CRUMB Gallery. The designer, who lives and works between Florence and Milan, conducts artistic research rooted in time, transforming everyday objects into the extraordinary. The project reflects on memory and catharsis translated through the purifying action of water, as shown in a work showing a large glass case filled with water in which her sister’s wedding dress and clothes belonging to her uncle and father flow.
Crumb Gallery,
via San Gallo, 191, Florence
Restoration Conversations/ The world’s oldest drawing academy, Accademia delle Arti del Disegno
6.30pm, February 5
The next instalment of the Restoration Conversations series organized by Advancing Women Artists in collaboration with The Florentine takes place on Friday, February 5, 2021 (6.30pm in Italy; 12.30pm EST; 9.30am PST; 5.30pm in the UK). The world’s oldest drawing academy, Accademia del Disegno, is the subject of this session with Director of AWA, Linda Falcone, in conversation with AADFI president, Cristina Acidini. The talk will look at whether we can claim that this is where the Renaissance really started and presents a unique opportunity to (virtually) visit where art training began – the world over – in a space that’s only very rarely open to the public. Florence’s Drawing Academy, which has been open continuously since 1563, was ideated by Giorgio Vasari and founded by Cosimo I de’ Medici as an association for artists at a time when painters still belonged to the Guild of Physicians and Spice Makers, given that their craft involved the grinding of colours. Accademia del Disegno president Dr. Cristina Acidini is set to reveal the secrets of this intriguing venue at the very heart of Florence’s art history, whose ranks include Michelangelo, Bronzino and Artemisia Gentileschi, the first woman granted membership, in 1615. The event is free and can be viewed on The Florentine‘s YouTube Channel. Don’t forget to subscribe!
ONLINE/ Community events
TF Together – The Florentine’s online events series viewable on our YouTube channel (don’t forget to subscribe!) continues with Razzismo Brutta Storia and teaching Anti-racism in Italy, A talk with Mackda Ghebremariam Tesfau (Phd student in Social Sciences) about the educational tools and activities in schools carried out by the association Razzismo Brutta Storia, dedicated to combating racism and discrimination at 5pm on February 12. At 5pm on February 19, Theophilus Imani will examine the relationship between faces of the African diaspora and icons of European art in a session titled ‘Echoes and agreements in art history and popular culture’. The updated programme is available here.
The British Institute of Florence
The ever-popular Wednesday Lectures Series continues at 6pm on February 10 with a lecture by Alexandra Lawrence titled Godi, Fiorenza! Dante’s Poetic (and other) Feelings about Florence, exploring Dante’s dramatic love/hate relationship with the city. At 6pm on February 17, Antonella Bundu will give a talk on Alessandro Sinigaglia and Florentine Resistance, looking at the Black partisan who participated in the liberation of Florence in 1944. There’s something for little ones on February 18 at 5pm: a storytime for 4-8 year olds livestreamed on The British Institute’s Facebook page,, with a reading of Jazz Age Josephine by Jonah Winter. On February 24 at 6pm, Jeremy Boudreau will explore Sculpture and Scrutiny: Public Art and Public Opinion in Florence, addressing Florence’s long history of controversial public sculpture. The lectures take place on Zoom; donations requested. For more information, visit their website.
St Marks English Church
The Florence Writers group resume their cultural endeavours with a poetry and prose evening on February 11 at 8pm. The evening will involve a reading of favourite passages and poems on the theme of love. At 7pm on February 23, join the poetry workshop (poet soon to be revealed), examining ways to write poetry and how to improve your skills. Held on Zoom, events are free with a suggested donation to raise funds for St Mark’s. Yoga with Kamin Mohammadi will take place on February 5, 12 and 19 at 5pm with Choir at 6pm the same days, the Armchair Drama Club will be at February 9 at 8pm, there will be a recital on YouTube at 6pm on February 11, and 25, with Book Club taking place 8pm on February 25 also. A new course is launching at 7pm on February 24, ‘Beginners Italian’ for all those looking to delve into the language this year. Email events@stmarksitaly.com or see here.
Women’s International Network
The seventh annual fair takes place on February 10 at 7.30pm, also open to non-members. An opportunity for members to share their business activities, charities, hobbies and more (presenters must register by February 3), the event is free, although raffle tickets to win a wide range of excellent prizes (in support of Associazione Tumori Toscana) must be purchased at the time of registering for the Zoom meeting. See more at www.womensinternationalnetworkflorence.it.
