While the Gallery of Modern Art, located in Palazzo Pitti, is defined as “modern,” all of the art located in this collection cover the period from 1400s to the 1700s. In Italy, modern art refers to the period before the 1700s, and the art after the 18th century is called contemporary art. The gallery originated from the remodeling of the Florentine academy in 1784, when the Gallery of Modern Art was established. The gallery was at first intended to display the works of art which were prize-winners in the academy’s competitions. At the same time, Palazzo Pitti was being redecorated, so new works of art were added to the collection in the newly decorated salons. By the mid-19th century, the Grand Ducal collection of modern art had become so large, that many were transferred to Palazzo della Crocetta, which became the first home of the newly formed “Modern Art Museum.”
After the Risorgimento, and the expulsion of the Grand Ducal family from Palazzo Pitti, all the works of modern art were brought together in the newly titled “Modern Gallery of the Academy.” The collection continued to enlarge, especially under the rule of Vittorio Emanuele II. The gallery was not moved to Palazzo Pitti until 1922, where it was then complemented by more works of modern art owned by the state and the municipality of Florence. The collection was located in the apartments of the recently vacated members of the Italian Royal family, and was first opened to the public in 1928.
Today, the collection is now located in 30 rooms, including works by artists of the Macchiaioli movement and other modern Italian schools of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The pictures by the artists of the Macchiaioli movement are of particular importance because these 19th century Tuscan painters were early pioneers and the founders of the Italian impressionist movement. The elegant rooms, which were formerly inhabited by the Lorraine Grand Dukes are also decorated with works of the neo-classical and romantic periods. The thirty rooms of the Gallery have recently been reorganized, according to chronological criteria. The rooms on the second floor have been restored, but the decoration, upholstering and furniture of the Lorraine period have been maintained. The itinerary begins with both neoclassic works like the "Oath of the Saxons to Napoleon" by Pietro Benvenuti and romantic works like the grandiose "Entry of Charles VIII" by Giuseppe Bezzuoli or "The two Foscari" by Francesco Hayez.Tickets to the Galleria d’Arte Moderna cost €8.50, which also includes a visit to the Palatine Gallery. The Gallery is located on the second floor of Palazzo Pitti.
