Patti Smith bows to the ‘beauty’ of Michelangelo’s David

Patti Smith was the first rock star to perform under the David at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence. But no concert, of course, as befits a museum, for the ‘priestess of rock’ but, as she herself defined it, “an intimate musical and literary reading” to pay homage to Michelangelo’s artistic genius, reciting his “Rhymes. “, and at the same time the verses of some of the Italian poets, such as Pier Paolo Pasolini together with his most famous songs. The performer of songs such as “People Have The Power”, “Dancing Barefoot” and “Because The Night” was invited, tonight, by the director Cecilie Hollberg to close the first part of “David 140”, the calendar of events created for the 140 years since the inauguration of the Tribuna della Galleria where the David is located, which took place on July 22, 1882. In front of an audience of 190 people, Patti Smith proposed “An evening of poetry and music”, a show between music and poetry: she performed accompanied by her son Jackson Smith on guitar, daughter Jesse Paris Smith on piano and their longtime friend Tony Shanahan on bass. “I am happy and honored to be in this magnificent place, in this place of beauty, to celebrate the great Michelangelo, and all the great masters of sculpture and painting who make our world more beautiful”, said the artist. she is bowed to both the audience and the white marble colossus. Patti Smith, Hollberg recalled, is “a true contemporary icon, an extraordinary author and performer, one of the most charismatic and disruptive female figures in the history of music from the late 1960s to today, who continues to renew herself through writing and also capture the younger generations with the visionary intensity of the force they emanate “. Patricia Lee Smith, aka Patti Smith, was born on December 30, 1946 in Chicago. Songwriter and poet, in her career of over forty years she has crossed punk becoming its icon, analyzed the world in all its art forms, through music, photography, poetry, novels, painting and sculpture , leaving an indelible mark in every expression. Loved, discussed, powerful and idealistic, he is a real rock myth for all generations. “David 140”, which will continue after the summer, is a project carefully studied by the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence that responds to the indications of the MiC – Ministry of Culture. (By Paolo Martini)