Dear Friends,
For over 25 years, Friends of Florence, a nonprofit foundation based in the U.S., has helped preserve, restore, and safeguard irreplaceable treasures that are touchstones of our culture. Our conservation projects include works by celebrated masters of the Italian Renaissance such as Michelangelo, da Vinci, and Brunelleschi as well as lesser-known artists and architects who came before and after them. Partnering with Florence’s esteemed conservators, art historians, advisors, government officials, and a host of collaborators, we have some twenty projects in process at any given time. And the projects are all funded through the generosity of donors from around the globe!
Each project addresses issues both visible and beneath the surface using the latest diagnostic tools and techniques. Among the many joys inherent in this work is the opportunity for research, discovery, and contextualization. What materials did the artists use and why? Who were their patrons? What was the intention behind the creation? Watching conservators revive and recover the artists’ original vision is pure magic.
Among our most recognizable restoration and conservation projects of the 400+ Friends of Florence has undertaken, are:
- The ongoing care of Michelangelo’s iconic David in the Accademia and his poignant Pietà in the Opera del Duomo;
- Botticelli’s exquisite odes to classic beauty in the Uffizi Gallery;
- Ghiberti’s epic Gates of Paradise at the Baptistery of St. John;
- Brancacci Chapel’s extraordinary cycle of wall paintings;
- The richly decorated Uffizi Tribune with its collection of Medici artworks;
- Seven Fra Angelico masterworks in the Museum of San Marco and a fresco in the San Domenico Monastery—all featured in the recent exhibition devoted to the friar-artist;
- Sala delle Carte Geografiche (Hall of Maps) in the Palazzo Vecchio; and,
- Pontormo’s sublime Deposition from the Cross in the Capponi Chapel.
In addition to educational and travel programs, conferences, special events, and behind-the-scenes tours, Friends of Florence undertakes projects resulting in publications, museum exhibitions, and partnerships with other mission-driven foundations and institutions. Projects related to our biannual Restoration Prize given at the Salone dell’Arte e Restauro are funded and completed within two years.
We are delighted to partner with one of the leading auction houses in Italy, Florence based Pandolfini, and cordially invite you to peruse the catalogue. Many of the lots are once-in-a-lifetime experiences including private tours of and tastings at Tuscany’s storied vineyards with their owners and distinguished wine experts. There are also unique opportunities to stay at some of the most elegant and breathtaking properties in Tuscany and other regions of Italy.
Please join us as we celebrate the Tuscan region and its people for their capacity to awaken our senses in the most delightful and memorable ways—through fine wine, delicious food, creative expression, and exceptional hospitality.
With the support of our wonderful donors and collaborators, we continue to work to ensure future generations will also experience these magnificent works, enabling meaningful connections with history and one another. Please visit our website (friendsofflorence.org) to learn more about our projects, programs, and commitment to preserving Florence’s cultural legacy thereby enriching us all.
Con i miei migliori saluti e Grazie!
Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda
President, Friends of Florence
Friends of Florence Wine Auction Committee:
James P. Morton, Chairman
Giacomo Bei
Susan Boswell
Simonetta Brandolini d’Adda
Diamante D'Alessio
Renée Gardner
Lorenzo Nannelli
Joanna Ng
Martino di Napoli Rampolla
