The must-see exhibitions in Florence

All the must-see events

All the must-see art events in Florence.

Beato Angelico al Palazzo Strozzi (until 25 January 2026)

At Palazzo Strozzi this extraordinary exhibition celebrates Fra Angelico, the quintessential master of the fifteenth century and a central figure in Italian art history, with an itinerary that takes in Palazzo Strozzi and the San Marco Museum. Over 140 pieces from prestigious international museums explore the work of the Renaissance genius in an unprecedented conversation between art, faith and innovation.

Beato Angelico, Giudizio universale (Photo credits: Su concessione del Ministero della Cultura - Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Toscana - Museo di San Marco)

Toulouse-Lautrec. Un tuffo nella Parigi della Belle Époque at the Museo degli Innocenti (until February 22, 2026)

The Museo degli Innocenti in Florence is hosting a major exhibition dedicated to Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, the undisputed master of the Belle Époque and symbol of late 19th-century Paris. Over 170 works by the French artist, from Hamburg and Albi—his hometown—will be on display alongside furniture, documents, and original artifacts, as well as works by other leading figures of the period. The exhibition takes visitors on a journey of total immersion into fin-de-siècle Montmartre, with its famous brightly colored posters, lively café-concerts, and the irresistible energy of Parisian nightlife. The exhibition, conceived and produced by Arthemisia with the Museo degli Innocenti, Cristoforo, the Ernst Barlach Museumsgesellschaft Hamburg, and BridgeconsultingPro, is curated by Dr. Jürgen Doppelstein, with Gabriele Accornero as project manager of the collection.

©Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Jane Avril

Da Palasport a Forum: la storia del Nelson Mandela Forum in 40 anni di manifesti

Da Palasport a Forum: la storia del Nelson Mandela Forum in 40 anni di manifesti è una mostra che racconta quattro decenni di vita culturale, sociale e civile di Firenze attraverso 200 manifesti originali. L’esposizione ripercorre la storia dell’impianto fiorentino dal 1985, anno dell’inaugurazione come Palasport Firenze, fino a oggi, evidenziandone l’evoluzione in Nelson Mandela Forum, spazio simbolo di incontro tra arti, sport, culture e impegno civile. Dai grandi concerti internazionali – da Ray Charles a Paul McCartney, passando per James Brown, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Vasco Rossi e molti altri – agli spettacoli teatrali e musicali, con protagonisti come Roberto Benigni, il trio Panariello–Conti–Pieraccioni, il Cirque du Soleil e Notre Dame de Paris. La mostra ricorda anche eventi sportivi, iniziative sui diritti umani, incontri civili e il ruolo cruciale del Forum durante l’emergenza Covid, quando divenne il principale hub vaccinale della Toscana. Ogni manifesto è accompagnato da una targa che riporta tutte le date degli artisti e degli eventi ospitati, trasformando l’esposizione in un vero archivio della memoria collettiva. Visitabile gratuitamente, la mostra celebra il Mandela Forum come luogo multifunzionale, inclusivo e profondamente legato alla città, capace di rinnovarsi nel tempo senza perdere la propria identità.

Mostra manifesti ©Marco Borrelli

Cera una volta. I Medici e le arti della ceroplastica at Uffizi

Until 12 April 2026, the Uffizi Galleries present Once Upon a Time in Wax. The Medici and the Art of Ceroplastics, the first major exhibition dedicated to Florentine collections of wax sculpture from the 16th and 17th centuries. Installed in the newly created ground-floor galleries and curated by Valentina Conticelli, Andrea Daninos and Simone Verde, the exhibition brings to light a refined art form long relegated to the margins, championed by the Medici as an expression of extraordinary virtuosity. Around 90 works, including masterpieces by Gaetano Giulio Zumbo, reconstruct a forgotten chapter of art history, restoring full artistic dignity to ceroplastics.

Cera una volta. I Medici e le arti della ceroplastica

Clemen Parrocchietti, Ironia ribelle al Palazzo Medici Riccardi (until February 8)

Palazzo Medici Riccardi pays tribute to Clemen Parrocchetti (Milan 1923–2016), a twentieth-century artist who explored the complexities of women, emotional relationships, and sexuality, challenging the dominant vision of patriarchal culture. In collaboration with the Clemen Parrocchetti Archive, this is the first extensive exhibition in an Italian museum and aims to introduce the public to a still little-known artist, close to the Italian feminist movement and the creator of an original, provocative, and authentic language. "Rebel Irony," curated by Marco Scotini and Stefania Rispoli, with artistic direction by Sergio Risaliti, runs until January 6, 2026. The exhibition will showcase over one hundred works, including paintings, drawings, sculptures, tapestries, documents, and archival materials, and will portray a nonconformist artist who combined aesthetic research and political activism. By intertwining biography, activism, and visual language, the exhibition reconstructs the image of a courageous and autonomous practice, capable of transforming needle, thread, and fabric into instruments of rebellion and of proclaiming, then as now, a desire for freedom and emancipation.

Clemen Parrocchetti

Frida Kahlo – Emotion Exhibition at Cattedrale dell'Immagine (until March 29, 2026)

An immersive experience lasting approximately 35 minutes that transports visitors into the artistic and personal world of Frida Kahlo, transforming the Immersive Room and the spaces of the deconsecrated church of Santo Stefano al Ponte into a vibrant environment of Latin American art, colors, and atmospheres. The tour includes the Mirror Room, the Immersive Room, and the Crypt with interactive experiences, culminating in the Frida Kahlo VR Experience, which allows visitors to explore Frida's art in virtual reality. The exhibition is open every day, with slightly different hours on weekends and holidays.

Frida Kahlo – Emotion Exhibition

Oceans. David Doubilet at Villa Bardini (until April 12, 2026)

For the first time in Florence, National Geographic presents a major exhibition dedicated to David Doubilet, legendary American underwater photographer and pioneer of ocean exploration. Held at Villa Bardini and promoted by Fondazione CR Firenze and Gallerie d'Italia – Intesa Sanpaolo, the exhibition brings together over 80 images that convey the extraordinary beauty and fragility of underwater life. The exhibition unfolds across eleven themed rooms, inspired by the play of contrasts that characterizes the “over/under” technique invented by Doubilet, which captures what happens above and below the sea surface in a single shot. The sections alternate between warm/cold, bright/dark, threat/care, many/few, offering an exciting journey through ocean ecosystems around the world: from the Caribbean to Australia, from Indonesia to Antarctica. Through his photographs, Doubilet – accompanied by his wife and marine biologist Jennifer Hayes – invites us to reflect on the need to protect the oceans and the deep connection that unites man and nature.

Oceani. David Doubilet

Centoventi. Villa Romana 1905-2025 at Museo Novecento (fino all’8 marzo 2026)

To mark the 120th anniversary of Villa Romana, Florence's Museo Novecento is hosting the exhibition “CENTOVENTI: Villa Romana 1905–2025”, curated by Elena Agudio and Sergio Risaliti, with Mistura Allison and Eva Francioli. Open until 8 March 2026, the exhibition celebrates the long history of the artists' residence in Via Senese, retracing its dialogue with the city and its role as a space for experimentation and cultural exchange. Through archival materials and works by historical and contemporary artists, the exhibition reconstructs the legacy of Villa Romana, which has been welcoming international artists and intellectuals since 1905. Among the artists on display are Ernst Barlach, Georg Baselitz, Käthe Kollwitz, Max Klinger, Markus Lüpertz, Max Pechstein and many others. For the first time in an Italian museum, this exhibition recounts the history and influence of one of the most important Italian-German artistic institutions of the 20th century.

Centoventi. Villa Romana 1905-2025 (ph. Leonardo Morfini)

Andro Eradze. Bones of Tomorrow (fino al 25 gennaio)

The Palazzo Strozzi Foundation and IED Florence present Bones of Tomorrow, the first institutional solo exhibition in Italy by Georgian artist Andro Eradze. Curated by Arturo Galansino, the project brings together a selection of videos, photographs, and installations conceived specifically for two venues: the Project Space at Palazzo Strozzi and the former Teatro dell'Oriuolo, home to IED Florence. Conceived as a unified journey between the two spaces, the exhibition invites visitors to explore Eradze's visual imagery, in which time flows in multiple directions, the relationship between cause and effect disappears, and images take on an enigmatic character. Andro Eradze's artistic research is marked by the coexistence of opposing forces and the exploration of border areas where the natural and the artificial, the domestic and the wild, the human and the animal meet. His works are located in a liminal zone where contrasts are not canceled out but remain open, generating a constant sense of anticipation and ambiguity. The title of the project, Bones of Tomorrow, refers to the presence of something that is not yet visible, something that is taking shape.

A.Eradze Ghost Carriers

Icone di potere e bellezza at Museo Archologico Nazionale di Firenze (fino al 9 aprile 2026)

The exhibition analyzes the historical development of the use of images for the celebration, preservation, and transmission of imperial power. Curated by Daniele Federico Maras and Barbara Arbeid, respectively director and curator of the Florentine museum, the exhibition presents 20 ancient objects of great symbolic value from the Medici collections, grouped around four life-size gilded bronze heads: three imperial portraits from the Santa Giulia Museum in Brescia, managed by the Brescia Museums Foundation, and a head of Venus from the ancient grand ducal collections. In particular, visitors can admire medallions and coins (aurei, sestertii, denarii, asses) that conveyed the imperial portrait as a symbol and guarantee of the continuity of power, as well as gems, rings, and gold necklaces, intended for ‘private’ use but no less rich in symbolic meaning, and a splendid life-size eagle's head, symbol of Jupiter's majesty.

Museo Archeologico Nazionale