W H Y I S I T I M P O R T A N T ? It is the first ever contemporary art museum in all of Florence. The overall goal of this Museo is to make Marini’s work, as well as other contemporary art from the 20th century, accessible to the public, as it resides in a city that typically “venerates the old and eschews the modern”.
Marino Marini Museum is designed in 1988 by the Florentine architects Lorenzo Papi and Bruno Sacchi dedicated for Marini’s sculptures and paintings. It was built on the church of Saint PancraziThere are over 180 works by Marino Marini donated by himself and his wife. The pieces are arranged by theme as a state of mind rather than in chronological order.
T I M E L I N E 6 T H C An ecclesiastical settlement occupied by Benedictine nuns M I D - 1 5 T H C Leon Battista Alberti was commissioned by the Rucellai family to construct the Sacellum of St. Sepulchre 1 8 8 3 The lottery HQ was transformed into a tobacco factory 1 9 8 2 Bruno Sacchi & Lorenzo Papi were commissioned to complete a more “articulated renovation” of the San Pancrazio compound 1 9 3 7 Served as a military depot 2 0 1 3 Rucellai Chapel is reopened for the public. 1 1 0 0 Vallombrosian monks inhabited it. 1 8 0 8 The church was then turned into the head office of the French lottery. >
It was considered that Marini integrated tradition and modernity like no other. “Tradition” to Marini meant faith in certain values pertaining to aspects of the globe, humanity, history, as a way and consideration of life and life’s circumstances. Whereas, “Modernity” to Marini was defined as an awareness of his own time as a complete whole to new values and to contemporary thought. T R A D I T I O N + M O D E R N I T Y
Marini was one of the most important of contemporary Italian sculptors. He was born near Florence and was trained at a the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence. His works were heavily influenced by the suffering he witnessed in Italy during the war. He described his work as part of a “new renaissance of sculpture in Italy, the new humanism, the new reality." M A R I N O M A R I N I 1 9 0 1 - 1 9 8 0
The triforium of the Alberti Church was moved to outside as the museum’s entrance facade. Large windows with bronze casting were installed during the reconstruction. They work as a curtain wall of the historical bearing as well as sources for natural light. E X T E R I O R
W A L K W A Y S The walkways connected accesses in interior space on different levels. The path within the museum allows visitors to link, mold and recognize memories from the past with Marini’s poetics.
L I G H T The exhibition space is lit with natural light from two side of the room. Some windows are positioned to lead the light to the sculpture. Having brighter lighting at important pieces, seats and entrance and having elements creating darker lighting, the visitors are naturally directed in the museum.
T E X T U R E The rustic square-tile terracotta floor with a central strip in serena stone reflects the ancient church. With the excessive use of wood through out gave the museum a warm tone which contrast with the sculptures.
S T R U C T U R E Entering through the atrium-entrance with a lowered ceiling and concrete wall to the central nave. The central aisle the geometrical axis of the building where we can find stairs that leads to the upper floor and becomes galleries and unwind around the central spaces which becomes cavea space
“ F R O M T H E L I G H T T O S P A C E , T O T H E L A Y O U T A N D A L L T H E O T H E R P R I M A R Y C O M P O N E N T P A R T S T H A T C R E A T E T H E B E S T P O S S I B L E C O N D I T I O N T O A P P R E C I A T E T H E A R T I S T ’ S W O R K T O T H E F U L L "
M A R I N I ’ S A R T Although Marini has delved into various mediums, such as sculpture, painting, graphic art, and portraiture, his work “coexist in harmony and share a dynamic symbiosis”. They’re organized by themes rather than dates, but the overarching theme is a portrayal of his figures out of context and with a sense of “loneliness without a god.” This is derived from Marini’s developed sensitivity and moral clarity towards the real, pragmatic, emotional, and spiritual consciousness of life. It also goes back to combining tradition and modernity and is reflected within the architecture that molds and frames his work.
1_ His works start with colour. Marini believed that “even if every single discipline had its main source of colour, they all had their own place and were different.” 2_ His works were made so that natural light was a necessity in order to read them, and this principle is apparent throughout the building’s consideration. 3_ Furthermore, each piece has a different point of view and can be seen at this and other angles from the various belvedere points created by the pathways, corridors, stairs, etcetera. U N D E R L Y I N G E L E M E N T S
His early works suggests preferences towards the “primitive charms” of the likes of Piero Della Francesca, Masaccio, Picasso and Matisse. The paintings shown in the museum show his curiosity for what was new at the end of the 19th century and would translate into and inspire his work as a sculptor. L I N E , C O L O U R , H O R S E & K N I G H T
P O R T R A I T S “ T H E H E A D P O R T R A I T S T H A T M A R I N I W A S A B L E T O D O W E R E N O T S C U L P T U R E S , B U T C O M P L E T E N O V E L S . ” - Guido Giuffrè They mirrored life as it was and more so the essence, personalities and emotions of his models, of whom were famous artists and makers that posed for him. These busts were not meant to be figures of gods or heroes. Marc Chagall Igor Stravinsky
The myth of the knight describes how man takes the power from the animal it dominates. Pre-WWII, Marini’s sculptures of these knights were calm and poised, with a sense of strength and balance, yet were represented with soft lines. However, as his work progressed, they reflected and expressed the angst caused by the wartime-events at that time. So by the development of WWII, his horses’ uneasiness is more visible and the knight is more exhausted as he has lost his power over his beast as a sign of defeat. T H E H O R S E & K N I G H T post - WWII pre - WWII
“ L I T T L E B Y L I T T L E , M Y H O R S E S B E C O M E M O R E R E S T L E S S , T H E I R R I D E R S L E S S A N D L E S S A B L E T O C O N T R O L T H E M . M A N A N D B E A S T A R E B O T H O V E R C O M E B Y A C A T A S T R O P H E M U C H L I K E T H O S E T H A T S T R U C K S O D O M A N D P O M P E I I . ”
T H E P O M O N A S This was another theme that Marini explored. The Pomonas were feminine and sensual figures that personified the goddess of fertility, of whom live in a poetic, abundant and bright world. They represent a joyful season that has been broken by tragic warfare. These feminine figures symbolize the aspect of human nature as if they were looking for the sun, as figures that long for warmth in a time of need.
These figures were Marini’s 20th century adaptation of the 19th century themes taken from Commedia Dell’arte and the circus world. They expressed the charm, optimism and vibrancy as reflected in their forms of performance and entertainment as magicians, acrobats, clowns, etc. which symbolized escape from restraint. commedia dell’arte “ C I R C U S T Y P E S ”
The building itself is a palimpsest connecting the Florentine Renaissance with modern day Florence. The way the building molds with Marini’s work and how the the artwork is situated as visitors flow throughout the space implies a sense of symbiosis. It’s one of the only buildings where it is remarkable for both its contents and the architecture. I L M U S E O O G G I
l’Arca - Marzo 1989 http://www.museomarinomarini.it/ http://www.museumsinflorence.com/musei/marino_marini_museum.html http://ahuskofmeaning.com/2011/08/marino-marini-museum-in-florence/ https://vimeo.com/19691579 R E F E R E N C E S
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