dante in the picture

14 May – 14 June 2021
opening 14 May 2021, 4:00 p.m.

Catalogue published by Casa Usher
With a text by Domenico De Martino

On the occasion of the 700 years from the death of the great Vate Dante Alighieri, Galleria Immaginaria is pleased to announce the opening of the exhibition Dante in the Picture – fifty-three contemporary artist.

The city of Florence, which gave birth to the poet, will become the capital and theatre of important celebrations in this year, and our Gallery located in the heart of this city, wants to pay homage to the great Vate, remembering his greatness, with an exhibition of contemporary artists dedicated to him.

Fifty-three are the voices, Italian and international, who have given life to the creations that will be part of this vast exhibition itinerary, which will wind through sculptures, paintings, photographs and installations, telling the public how the figure of Dante and his literary legacy is perceived in the world of contemporary art.

“In fact – and this exhibition proves it – Dante continues to speak to us, through the centuries, in his verses but also through the imagery that these have aroused and arouse. Projections that continually reproduce, renew and refract themselves in the poetic art. Even so, Dante constantly forces us to reckon with human themes, with our desire to measure ourselves against the reality of (earthly) facts and, at the same time, with unconditional (celestial) values. Also (and above all, we may sometimes say) with the humble fragility of our expressive tools, which nevertheless allow man (Dante and us, seven centuries ago and today) a vital dialectic with the absolute. Then, this exhibition with so many voices will perhaps also have that considerable merit of encouragement, among other things, in an invitation to re-read Dante with enthusiasm, with new openings and new points of view.” Declares Stefano De Martino, philologist, scholar of Dante and Art Director of the Dante2021 Ravenna Festival.

Galleria Immaginaria, by choosing this date, also wants to pay homage to a great event, dear to the city of Florence: on 14 May 1865, in fact, in the occasion of the 600th Anniversary of the poet’s birth, the famous Procession of flags was held in Florence,  from Piazza Santo Spirito to Piazza Santa Croce, to celebrate the famous statue of Dante, one of the symbols of the city and its glorious history, in addition to the start of the season in Florence, the Capital of Italy.