The Michelangelo never seen in Bronze.
November 9, 2010
Silvia Columbano – Il Nuovo Corriere di Firenze
Florence- The Bronze sculptures of Michelangelo have suddenly sprung up in the Florentine night, suspended in the starry sky and illuminated by the hot streetlights of Via Ghibellina.
Eleven sculptures by Michelangelo, never before seen: in bronze. They will be the protagonist, from tomorrow until the 10th of January, of “Michelangelo in Bronze,” The extraordinary temporary exhibit staged in the exhibition space of the Casa Buonarroti, which opens the “Michelangelo Experience Tour.” The project idea is from David Newren from New Renaissance Art- in collaboration with the Casa Buonarroti Foundation and the Marinelli Artistic Foundry- with the goal of raising awareness about Michelangelo to the world. The Bacchus, The Battle of the Centaurs, The Madonna of the Stairs, and The Moses are some of the only works of the roman master that were commissioned to the Artistic Foundry of Poggibonsi in order to bring the bronzes to realization, and as in the case of the Bruges Madonna, the result comes close to perfection.
“It is very impressive to be face to face with each sculpture in the exhibition: The gaze and expressions of each sculpture have been reproduced in such a faithful manner that they surprise the visitors,” enthusiastically noted Pina Ragionieri, Director of the Casa Buonarroti Foundation.
Ferdinando, the head of the Marinelli family, made casts of the original marble works of art created, a practice that is absolutely prohibited now. It is thanks to the work of the Marinelli family and the production of these casts that the replicas are today so perfectly recreated.
“But also thanks to the commitment and the sensitivity of the workers of the foundry-almost all graduates of the Academia delle Belle Arte– continue the old Florentine craft,” explains Ferdinando Marinelli, who for years has been going forward with the work of his family.
The expertly curated exhibition by the architect Leonardo Stanta is a complete journey,
Three original hand written letters by Michelangelo make it possible to trace the story of some of the works in the exhibition: from the artists mind to the chisel. This is a way to share with the public a small fragment of the important property of the archive of the museum, but also for the anticipation of the extraordinary event that will be the focus of the Casa Buonarroti in February of next year: the exhibition of twenty drawings made by Michelangelo and Leonardo, as anticipated by the President of the Foundation, Eugenio Giani.