History Of Uffizi Gallery

Uffizi was initially built as the administrative and judicial center of Florence by Giorgio Vasari, commissioned by Cosimo I de Medici. The ground floor housed 13 Magistrate offices, while the first floor held the Grand Duchy's administrative offices and workshops. Alfonso Parigi and Bernardo Buontalenti completed the building after Vasari's death. The Gallery's first museum arrangement was created by Francesco I de' Medici, displaying iconic Renaissance works by Botticelli and Da Vinci on the second floor, which is now considered the gallery's main attraction.

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During the 18th century, the Uffizi Gallery underwent significant enhancements. The western corridor's walls were adorned with frescoes between 1658 and 1679 during the reign of Ferdinando. Grand Duke Cosimo III commissioned the decoration of the corridor overlooking the River Arno with religious frescoes between 1696 and 1699. Under the rule of Cosimo III, a number of famous ancient statues were moved from the Villa Medici in Rome to Florence, including the Medici Venus, the Wrestlers, and the Scythian. These sculptures were then displayed in the Tribune, designed by Bernardo Buontalenti.

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 The Medici dynasty came to an end with the death of Grand Duke Gian Gastone in 1737, and the Grand Duchy of Tuscany was granted to Francis, Duke of Lorraine, and Maria Teresa Habsburg in 1735. The last Medici, Anna Maria Luisa de Medici signed the Family Pact in 1743, which ensured that all artwork would remain in Florence. The museum, which opened in 1769, was arranged rationally by Giuseppe Pelli Bencivenni and Luigi Lanzi. In 1779, the Niobe Room was designed by Gaspare Maria Paoletti to house ancient statues from Villa Medici.

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During the 19th century, the Uffizi Gallery underwent significant changes. In 1849, Vittorio Emanuele II declared the Uffizi a national museum and it was enriched with some of the most famous works of art like The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli and The Annunciation by Leonardo da Vinci Leopold II commissioned 28 statues that depicted famous Tuscan figures between 1842 and 1856, which were placed in the niches of the colonnade in the square.During the time when Florence was the capital of the Kingdom of Italy from 1865 to 1871, the Medicean Theatre located in the eastern wing of the Uffizi Gallery served as the Senate chamber. The Renaissance statues were then moved to the new National Museum of Bargello and the Gallery was mainly used to display paintings. The theatre was later divided into two in 1889 to create more exhibition spaces.Uffizi was also severely damaged during World War II but fortunately, the majority of the artworks were saved due to successful evacuation efforts.

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The Uffizi Gallery underwent several transformations over time. In 1956, the gallery's first rooms were rearranged by architects Giovanni Michelucci, Carlo Scarpa, and Ignazio Gardella. In 1965, the gallery was expanded and underwent significant renovations, including the restoration of the Vasari Corridor. The New Uffizi project, started in 1989, modernized the halls and increased display space. In 1993, a car bomb attack damaged parts of the palace and destroyed five artworks, including those in the Niobe Room. Despite the damage, the Uffizi continued to remain open for visitors.

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In 2006, the Uffizi Gallery completed an expansion project, increasing its exhibition space from 6,000 sq m to nearly 13,000 sq m, allowing for the display of many previously stored artworks. Continuing from 2015 to 2017, the Nuovi Uffizi project further expanded the museum, adding 101 viewing rooms by utilizing former Florence State Archive spaces. Despite a 150-day closure in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Uffizi Gallery remained a popular destination and one of the most visited art museums globally. It reopened in May 2021 after renovations, adding 14 new rooms and displaying an additional 129 artworks. The aim was to increase representation for historically marginalized groups, including women and people of color.

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