From 14 March to 23 August 2026, Palazzo Strozzi presents an unmissable exhibition dedicated to the great master of American art, Mark Rothko, through an extraordinary selection of works, including large paintings never before exhibited in Italy, from prestigious private collections and international museums such as the MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum in New York, the Tate in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.
Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, the show explores the evolution of Rothko’s art, from his early figurative works, in dialogue with Expressionism and Surrealism, to the celebrated abstract canvases of the 1950s and 1960s, also delving into his connection with Italian artistic tradition. The exhibition pays tribute to a central figure in the history of modern art, whose works create spaces where color and light invite meditation and introspection, in a constant tension between abstraction and spirituality.
From Palazzo Strozzi, the project extends into the city through two special satellite interventions at locations particularly significant to the artist: the Museo di San Marco, where a selection of works will be presented in dialogue with the frescoes of Fra Angelico, and the Vestibule of the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana designed by Michelangelo.
Rothko in Florence is promoted and organised by Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, Florence, in collaboration with the Museo di San Marco (Ministero della Cultura – Direzione regionale Musei nazionali Toscana) and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana.
Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi Public Supporters: Comune di Firenze, Regione Toscana, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Camera di Commercio di Firenze.
Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi Private Supporters: Fondazione CR Firenze, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati, Comitato dei Partner di Palazzo Strozzi.
Cover: Mark Rothko, No. 3 / No. 13, 1949, New York, MoMA-The Museum of Modern Art, Bequest of Mrs. Mark Rothko through The Mark Rothko Foundation, Inc. 428.1981, Photo credits: Digital image, The Museum of Modern Art, New York/Scala, Firenze © 1998 by Kate Rothko Prizel and Christopher Rothko / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York / SIAE, Roma