On Monday afternoon, my cohorts and I met with Signore Natali for a private tour of the Uffizi. The director discussed the reasoning behind the museum's display choices, the meaning of many of the pictures, and politics of running museums in Italy, which, as one would expect, are a goat rodeo. The government dictates museum policy from Rome, essentially stripping directors of the majority of the power. Museums can never let out certain paintings for exhibitions or other events, and the list of such works is constantly growing. This is frustrating and a bit insulting for other museums and nations. Moreover, Italy's major museums are swamped by tourists to the point that people cannot consider and appreciate works in a peaceful environment. There are many works kept in museum storage that need to be restored. Some are still untreated since the flood of 1966, and they may never be because of the expenses of time and money. In fact, the restoration studios in Florence are no longer offering full-time contracts while letting many of their senior restorers retire without refilling these positions. The economy is not in a position to support the arts, and a large percentage of restorations are being funded by the American organization Friends of Florence, based out of Palm Springs. I believe that this city would be crippled without foreign dollars.
However, walking through the empty Uffizi and listening to the director speak about the works he loves dearly, especially the Leonardos, was wonderful. Later, he opened the Vasari corridor to us, and we took it from the Uffizi to the Palazzo Pitti. Inside are portraits and self-portraits by celebrated artists that reach back to the Renaissance. The corridor is normally closed to the public, and it was a rare opportunity to access it.
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