Museums: Marino Marini Museum

Florence is home to many wonderful art museums.  One is dedicated to the art of Marino Marini (1901-1980).  Marini was born in nearby Pistoia and studied art in Florence.  He lived and worked in Italy and Switzerland.

Marini was a primarily a sculptor and also a painter.  His art is abstract and most of sculptures feature a horse with a rider.  One of his influences was Etruscan art, which is evident in his many bronzes. He was acquainted with many of the greatest artists of the 20th century. 

The Marino Marini Museum is located in a former church in the center of Florence.  The church, the Chiesa di San Pancrazio, dates from the 900's when a Romanesque church first occupied the site.  (Walls of the early church are visible in the crypt.)  The church has been transformed into a wonderful exhibition space with multiple levels and plenty of natural light and is a great showcase for Marini's sculpture, paintings and drawings. 

 

The façade of the Marino Marini Museum, formerly the Chiesa di San Pancrazio

The museum has a large collection of Marini's sculptures, including some very large bronzes.

According to the Kroller-Muller Museum website: "Equestrian sculptures are the central theme in Marini’s work. This places him in line with Italian art history, in which equestrian statues of rulers play an important role. But he also reacts against fascist art with its heavy emphasis on power and domination." "The theme of the horse and rider is of great emotional significance to him, as it symbolizes human existence."  In the sculpture pictured above, "the rider raises his arms in the air in panic. The horse tosses its head back and seems to want to throw the man off.  Marini sees these different versions respectively as expressions of unity, powerlessness and upset balance."

The sculpture pictured above actually freaked Greg out, because the person looks so realistic.  When he walked into the gallery, the sculpture immediately caught his attention and looked at it closely to see whether the person was real. 

We also enjoyed viewing Marini's paintings. 

The museum is also home to an amazing Renaissance-style tomb completed in 1467.  The tomb was commissioned by a wealthy Florentine, Giovanni di Paolo Rucellai, and designed by Leon Battista Alberti. 

The tomb was intended to resemble the holy sepulchre in Jerusalem.

Inside the tomb, the Resurrection

Thanks for visiting the Marino Marini Museum with us.

P.S.  When we visited the museum, a temporary exhibit, part of the city-wide Ytalia exhibition, featured the work of Italian artist Mimmo Paladino. We especially enjoyed the artistic vestment pictured below.