The Uffizi in Shanghai for a multi-year exhibition project with Botticelli, Autoritratti and Settecento

An agreement has been signed between the Uffizi Galleries and the Bund One Art Museum in Shanghai which lays the foundations for a partnership of ten exhibitions in five years (2022-2027). Under the agreement, the Florence museum will collaborate to organize exhibitions with works from the Uffizi collections in the Chinese metropolis as well as arranging cultural exchanges and study opportunities. The contracts for the construction of the first three exhibitions in Shanghai have already been signed, in the period April 2022-July 2023: they will bring some of the most celebrated masterpieces in art history to the Bund One Art Museum for the first time. Compared to these first three exhibitions, the contribution that the Shanghai museum will pay to the Uffizi Galleries for the program is over 2 million euros, plus a variable amount depending on the ticket receipts. The first exhibition, which will open in the spring of 2022, will be “Botticelli and the Renaissance”: about 50 works on display to reveal the magnificence of the art of Sandro Botticelli and some well-known contemporary artists. The second exhibition will take place between September 2022 and January 2023, proposing one of the most evocative collections of self-portraits in the world: “Self-portraits, masterpieces from the Uffizi”, a story of protagonists of cultural life from the 1500s to the 21st century. From March to July 2023 Shanghai will be illuminated by the third exhibition: “Masterpieces of the eighteenth century from the Uffizi”, classic works and expressions of the variety of eighteenth-century schools. The multi-year project is the result of a shared effort, supported by the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation with the Embassy of Italy in the People’s Republic of China and the Consulate General of Italy in Shanghai and the Italian Cultural Institute in Shanghai, aimed at constantly promoting the enhancement of the museum system and heritage artistic Italians in the world. Bund One Art Museum pursues the mission of offering the Chinese public the opportunity to discover in China the original works of the most adored masters of Italian art. The Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, said: “This initiative has the strategic value of intensifying knowledge and appreciation for the Italian cultural heritage in a hub like Shanghai, which, looking onto the great Chinese stage, offers Italian culture a global resonance” . Satisfaction was expressed by Ambassador Luca Ferrari, who underlined how “the agreement reached next year will bring to China one of the most famous collections in the world for its uniqueness and historical value, contributing to the rich program of promotional events of the Year of Culture. and of Tourism Italy-China 2022 “. The consul general in Shanghai, Michele Cecchi, highlighted that” with this multi-year collaboration, Italian artistic excellence will be the protagonist of the cultural scene of the Bund in the coming years, helping to give extraordinary visibility to the genius and to the creativity of our country in Shanghai “. Eike Schmidt, director of the Uffizi Galleries, underlines how” the continuous presence of the Uffizi in Shanghai over the next five years is strategic for the direct knowledge of our collections – rich, diverse and unique in the world – and of Italy itself in China.This is a mutually beneficial cooperation of great global significance, in gra I want to open and support deep dialogues between cultures, and to weld the friendship between our two peoples “. Finally, the mayor of Florence, Dario Nardella:” The agreement that will bring the Uffizi to Shanghai is a historic milestone in cultural diplomacy Italian. After years of work, a goal is achieved that I have tried to foster since 2015, my first year as mayor, on the occasion of a mission that was held in Shanghai. Now, thanks to the commitment of the Italian government and in particular of the ministers Franceschini and Di Maio, as well as the city of Florence and the director Schmidt, Italy is launching the most ambitious international cultural promotion plan towards Asia. It is also a friendly response to the French Louvre project in Abu Dhabi. For Florence this is a great opportunity for tourism and cultural promotion in the most populous country in the world and in one of the most dynamic economies. The economic and political repercussions for the next few years in favor of Italy and Florence are inestimable “. (By Paolo Martini)