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The Uffizi Gallery (), one of the oldest and most famous art
Art

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature....
 museum
Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
s in the world, is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a palazzo
Palazzo

Palazzo can be:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building*part of a commune name, for example:**Palazzo Adriano, a commune in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy...
  in Florence, Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
.

History
Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari

Giorgio Vasari was an Italy Painting and architect, who is today famous for his biography of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art history writing....
 in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices").






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Uffizi Hallway
Uffiziceiling1
The Uffizi Gallery (), one of the oldest and most famous art
Art

Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way that appeals to the senses or emotions. It encompasses a diverse range of human activities, creations, and modes of expression, including music and literature....
 museum
Museum

A museum is a "permanent institution in the service of society and of its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits the tangible and intangible heritage of humanity and its environment, for the purposes of education, study, and entertainment", as defined by the International Coun...
s in the world, is housed in the Palazzo degli Uffizi, a palazzo
Palazzo

Palazzo can be:*Palazzo, an Italian type of building*part of a commune name, for example:**Palazzo Adriano, a commune in the province of Palermo, in Sicily, Italy...
  in Florence, Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
.

History


Building of the palace was begun by Giorgio Vasari
Giorgio Vasari

Giorgio Vasari was an Italy Painting and architect, who is today famous for his biography of Italian artists, considered the ideological foundation of art history writing....
 in 1560 for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates — hence the name "uffizi" ("offices"). Construction was continued to Vasari's design by Alfonso Parigi
Alfonso Parigi

Alfonso Parigi the Younger was an italy architect and scenographer, the son of Giulio Parigi.He worked mainly in Florence, beginning at a very early age as his father's assistant....
 and Bernardo Buontalenti
Bernardo Buontalenti

Bernardo Buontalenti, byname of Bernardo Delle Girandole was an Italy stage designer, architect, theatrical designer, military engineer and artist....
 and ended in 1581. The cortile (internal courtyard) is so long and narrow, and open to the Arno River
Arno River

The Arno is a river in the Tuscany region of Italy. It is the most important river of central Italy after the Tiber.The river originates on Mount Falterona in the Casentino area of the Apennine Mountains, and takes initially a southward curve....
 at its far end through a Doric screen
Doric order

The Doric order was one of the Classical order of Architecture of Ancient Greece or classical architecture; the other two canonical orders were the Ionic order and the Corinthian order....
 that articulates the space without blocking it, that architectural historians treat it as the first regularized streetscape of Europe. Vasari, a painter as well as architect, emphasized the perspective
Perspective (visual)

Perspective, in context of visual system and visual perception, is the way in which objects appear to the eye based on their space attributes, or their dimensions and the position of the eye relative to the objects....
 length by the matching facades' continuous roof cornices, and unbroken cornices between storeys and the three continuous steps on which the palace-fronts stand.

The Palazzo degli Uffizi brought together under one roof the administrative offices, the Tribunal and the state archive (Archivio di Stato). The project that was planned by Cosimo I, Grand Duke of Tuscany to arrange that prime works of art in the Medici collections on the piano nobile was effected by Francis I of Tuscany
Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany

Francesco I de' Medici, Grand Duke of Tuscany was the second Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1574 to 1587....
, who commissioned from Buontalenti the famous Tribuna degli Uffizi
Tribuna of the Uffizi

The Tribuna of the Uffizi is an octagonal room in the Uffizi gallery, Florence. Designed by Bernardo Buontalenti for Francesco I de' Medici in the late 1580s, the most important antiquities and High Renaissance and Bolognese paintings from the Medici collection were and still are displayed here....
 that united a selection of the outstanding masterpieces in the collection in an ensemble that was a star attraction of the Grand Tour
Grand Tour

The Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by mainly Upper class European young men of means. The custom flourished from about 1660 until the advent of mass railroad transit in the 1840s, and was associated with a standard itinerary....
.

Over the years, further parts of the palace evolved into a display place for many of the paintings and sculpture collected by the Medici
Medici

The M?dici family was a powerful and influential Florence family from the 14th to 18th century. The family had three popes , numerous rulers of Florence and later members of the French and English royalty....
 family or commissioned by them. After the house of Medici was extinguished, the art treasures remained in Florence by terms of the famous Patto di famiglia negotiated by Anna Maria Lodovica, the last Medici heiress; it formed one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors by request since the sixteenth 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 — for example, some famous statue
Statue

A statue is a sculpture in the round representing a person or persons, an animal, or an event, normally full-length, as opposed to a Bust , and at least close to life-size, or larger....
s, to the Bargello
Bargello

The Bargello, also known as the Bargello Palace or Palazzo del Popolo is a former barracks and prison, now an art museum, in Florence, Italy....
. A project is currently underway to expand the museum's exhibition space by 2006 from some 6,000 metres² (64,000 ft²) to almost 13,000 metres² (139,000 ft²), allowing public viewing of many artwork
Work of art

A work of art is a creation, such as an art object, design, architecture piece, musical work, literary composition, performance, film, conceptual art piece, or even computer program that is made and or valued primarily for an "artistic" rather than practical function....
s that have usually been 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
Niobe

Niobe was the daughter of the semi-legendary ruler Tantalus, called the "Phrygian" and sometimes even as "King of Phrygia" . Although Tantalus ruled in Sipylus, a city located in the western extremity of Anatolia where Lydia was to emerge as a state as of the 8th century BC, and not in the traditional heartland of Phrygia, situated more in...
 room, the classical sculptures and neoclassical
Neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is the name given to quite distinct Cultural movement in the Decorative art and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture that draw upon Western classical art and culture ....
 interior of which have been restored, although its fresco
Fresco

Fresco is any of several related painting types, done on plaster on walls or ceilings. The word fresco comes from the Italian word affresco which derives from the adjective fresco , which has Latin origins....
es were damaged beyond repair. The identity of the bomber or bombers are unknown, although it was almost certainly attributable to the Sicilian Mafia who were engaged in a period of terrorism at that time.

Today the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attraction
Tourist attraction

A tourist attraction is a place of interest where tourists visit, typically for its inherent or exhibited cultural value, historical significance, natural or built beauty, or amusement opportunities....
s of Florence. In high season (particularly in July), waiting times can be up to five hours. Visitors who reserve a ticket in advance have a substantially shorter wait.

In the summer 2007, in early August, Florence was caught with a large rainstorm, and the Gallery was partially flooded, with water leaking through the ceiling, and the visitors had to be evacuated.

Popular culture

  • The museum is mentioned in chapter XII of Henry James
    Henry James

    Henry James, Order of Merit , son of theologian Henry James Sr., brother of the philosopher and psychologist William James and diarist Alice James, was an United States author....
    's 1875 novel Roderick Hudson
    Roderick Hudson

    Roderick Hudson is a novel by Henry James. Originally published in 1875 as a serial in The Atlantic Monthly, it is a bildungsroman that traces the development of the title character, a sculptor....
    . It is said that, 'There are very fine antiques in the Uffizi.'
  • The Uffizi also may be referenced in the chorus of the song "You Enjoy Myself
    You Enjoy Myself

    You Enjoy Myself, known in short as YEM by Phish#Concerts and fan bases, is a Phish song written by Trey Anastasio. It is the most frequently played song by the band, having been played at 39% of their 1,183 shows....
    " by Phish
    Phish

    eruses4|the band|deceptive internet practices|Phishing}}Phish is an United States band noted for their musical improvisation, extended jam sessions, exploration of music between genres, and their "fiercely loyal fans." Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983, the band's four members performed together for over 20 years until their hia...
    , although the band has famously neither confirmed nor denied the exact lines of the song's chorus.
  • A racetrack of the same name is featured in the game Project Gotham Racing 2
    Project Gotham Racing 2

    Project Gotham Racing 2 is a racing game for the Xbox, developed by Bizarre Creations and published by Microsoft Game Studios. PGR2 is the sequel to the highly successful Project Gotham Racing....
     for the Xbox
    Xbox

    The Xbox is a History of video games video game console produced by Microsoft. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console market, and competed with Sony's PlayStation 2 and Nintendo's GameCube....


Collections

Here is only a small selection from the world-class collection of paintings:
  • Cimabue
    Cimabue

    Cenni di Pepo Cimabue also known as Bencivieni di Pepo or in modern Italian, Benvenuto di Giuseppe, was an Italy Painting and creator of mosaics from Florence....
     (Maestà)
  • Duccio
    Duccio

    Duccio di Buoninsegna was one of the most influential Italian art of his time. Born in Siena, Tuscany, he worked mostly with pigment and egg tempera and like most of his contemporaries he painted religious subject matters....
     (Maestà)
  • Giotto
    Giotto di Bondone

    Giotto di Bondone , better known simply as Giotto, was an italy Painting and architect from Florence. He is generally considered the first in a line of great artists who contributed to the Italian Renaissance....
     (The Ognissanti Madonna, Badia Polyptych)
  • Simone Martini
    Simone Martini

    Simone Martini was an Italy painter born in Siena.He was a major figure in the development of early Italian painting and greatly influenced the development of the International Gothic style....
     (The Annunciation)
  • Paolo Uccello
    Paolo Uccello

    Paolo Uccello was an Italy painter who was notable for his pioneering work on visual Perspective in art. Giorgio Vasari in his book Lives of the Artists wrote that Uccello was obsessed by his interest in perspective and would stay up all night in his study trying to grasp the exact vanishing point....
     (The Battle of San Romano
    The Battle of San Romano

    The Battle of San Romano is a set of three paintings by the painter Paolo Uccello depicting events that took place at the battle of San Romano in 1432....
    )
  • Piero della Francesca
    Piero della Francesca

    Piero della Francesca was an Italian artist of the Italian Renaissance. To contemporaries, he was known as a mathematician and geometer as well as an artist, though now he is chiefly appreciated for his art....
     (Diptych of Duke Federico da Montefeltro
    Federico da Montefeltro

    Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro , was one of the most successful condottiere of the Italian Renaissance, and Duke of Urbino from 1444 until his death....
     and Duchess Battista Sforza of Urbino
    Urbino

    Urbino is a walled city in the Marche region in Italy, south-west of Pesaro, a World Heritage Site notable for a remarkable historical legacy of independent Renaissance culture, especially under the patronage of Federico da Montefeltro, duke of Urbino from 1444 to 1482....
    )
  • Fra Filippo Lippi
    Filippo Lippi

    Fra' Filippo Lippi , also called Lippo Lippi, was an Italy painter of the Italian Quattrocento school....
     (Madonna with Child and Two Angels)
  • Andrea del Verrocchio
    Andrea del Verrocchio

    Andrea del Verrocchio, born Andrea di Michele di Francesco de' Cioni, was an Italy sculpture, goldsmith and Painting who worked at the court of Lorenzo de' Medici in Florence....
     (The Baptism of Christ
    The Baptism of Christ (Verrocchio)

    The Baptism of Christ is a painting finished around 1475 by the Italy Renaissance painter Andrea del Verrocchio and his workshop. It is housed in the Uffizi in Florence....
    )
  • Hugo van der Goes
    Hugo van der Goes

    Hugo van der Goes was a Flemish painter. He was, along with Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling and Gerard David, one of the most important of the Early Netherlandish Painting....
     (The Portinari Triptych
    Portinari Triptych

    The Portinari Triptych is an oil on wood triptych painting by the Flanders painter Hugo van der Goes representing the Adoration of the shepherds....
    )
  • Sandro Botticelli
    Sandro Botticelli

    Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli or Il Botticello was an Italy Painting of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance ....
     (Primavera, The Birth of Venus
    The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)

    The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. It depicts Venus , having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore ....
    , The Adoration of the Magi and others)
  • Leonardo da Vinci
    Leonardo da Vinci

    Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci was an Italy polymath, being a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, Painting, sculptor, architect, botanist, musician and writer....
     (The Annunciation
    Annunciation (Leonardo)

    The Annunciation is a painting by Leonardo da Vinci in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. It depicts the annunciation by the Archangel Gabriel to the Mary, the mother of Jesus that she will conceive Jesus Christ and is set in the enclosed courtyard garden of a Florentine villa....
    , The Adoration of the Magi
    Adoration of the Magi (Leonardo)

    The Adoration of the Magi is an early painting by Leonardo da Vinci. Leonardo was given the commission by the Augustinians monks of San Donato a Scopeto in Florence, but departed for Milan the following year, leaving the painting unfinished....
    )
  • Piero di Cosimo
    Piero di Cosimo

    Piero di Cosimo was an Italy Renaissance Painting....
     (Perseus liberating Andromeda)
  • Albrecht Dürer
    Albrecht Dürer

    'Albrecht D?rer' was a Germans Painting, printmaker and theorist from Nuremberg. His still-famous works include the Apocalypse woodcuts, commons:Image:Duerer - Ritter, Tod und Teufel .jpg , St....
     (The Adoration of the Magi)
  • Michelangelo
    Michelangelo

    Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni , commonly known as Michelangelo, was an Italian Renaissance Painting, sculptor, architect, poet, and engineer....
     (The Doni Tondo
    Doni Tondo

    The Doni Tondo or Doni Madonna is the one of only three surviving panel paintings by the Italian Renaissance master Michelangelo Buonarroti , and the only one to be finished....
    )
  • Raphael (Madonna of the Goldfinch
    Madonna del cardellino

    The Madonna del cardellino or Madonna of the Goldfinch is a painting by the Italy renaissance artist Raphael, from c. 1505-1506. A 10-year restoration process was completed in 2008, after which the painting will eventually be returned to its home at the Uffizi in Florence....
    , Pope Leo X with Cardinals Giulio de' Medici and Luigi de' Rossi)
  • Titian
    Titian

    File:Tizian 090.jpg Tiziano Vecelli or Tiziano Vecellio, born 1473/1490 , died 27 August 1576, better known as Titian , was the leading painter of the 16th-century Venice school of the Italian Renaissance....
     (Flora, Venus of Urbino
    Venus of Urbino

    The Venus of Urbino is an oil painting by the Italian master Titian. It depicts a nude young woman, identified with the goddess Venus , reclining on a couch or bed in the sumptuous surroundings of a Renaissance palace....
    )
  • Parmigianino
    Parmigianino

    Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola , also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino or sometimes "Parmigiano", was a prominent Italy Mannerism Painting and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma....
     (The Madonna of the Long Neck)
  • Caravaggio
    Caravaggio

    Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, was an Italian people artist active in Rome, Naples, Malta and Sicily between 1593 and 1610, considered the first great representative of the Baroque school of painting....
     (Bacchus
    Bacchus (Caravaggio)

    Bacchus is a painting by Italy Baroque master Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio . It is held in the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.The painting shows a youthful Dionysus reclining in classical fashion with grapes and vine leaves in his hair, fingering the drawstring of his loosely-draped robe....
    , The Sacrifice of Isaac
    Sacrifice of Isaac (Caravaggio)

    The Sacrifice of Isaac is the title of two paintings by the Italy master Caravaggio ....
    , Medusa
    Medusa (Caravaggio)

    Caravaggio painted two versions of Medusa, the first in 1596and the other presumably in 1597,The first version also known as Murtula, by the name of the poet who wrote...
    )
  • Rembrandt Van Rijn (The selfpotrait as a young man,selfpotrait as an old man,potrait of an old man)


The collection also contains some ancient sculptures, such as the Arrotino
Arrotino

The Arrotino , or formerly the Scythian, thought to be a figure from a group representing the Marsyas is a Hellenistic-Roman sculpture of a man crouching to sharpen a knife on a whetstone....
 and the Two Wrestlers.

Gallery


See also :Category:Collections of the Uffizi.

External links

  • - Information, biographies and history in Italian and English