Guided Tours for Universities – Broken

Palazzo Strozzi presents Broken. The Power of the Fragment, a major exhibition celebrating the evocative power of the fragment in the history of sculpture, from archaeology to contemporary art. The exhibition brings together extraordinary and compelling works ranging from Ancient Egypt to Michelangelo, from Classical Greece to Rodin, and including contemporary artists such as Louise Bourgeois, Francesco Vezzoli and Danh Vo.

The exhibition investigates the reasons and circumstances that have led to the destruction or damage of sculptures, from ancient and modern iconoclasm to wars, and from acts of vandalism to natural disasters. The journey takes visitors through crucial moments in history, including wars and religious reforms, the French Revolution, the world wars and the 1966 Florence flood, prompting a broad reflection on the political value these works have acquired following their breakage.

While fragments are fundamental to our understanding of the past, they are far more than mere remnants of a lost whole. They exist as autonomous objects, worthy of being observed and interpreted as works of art in their own right, capable of transcending their original context to tell stories of transformation, destruction and rebirth.

The tour for university and art academy students follows an itinerary designed to explore works of art and artefacts from distant historical periods and geographical areas, with the aim of tracing the evolution of the concept of the fragment in sculpture through a range of themes and perspectives.