From 14 March to 23 August 2026, Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi presents one of the most significant exhibitions ever devoted to Mark Rothko, the undisputed master of American modern art. Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, Rothko in Florence is a unique project, conceived and produced specifically for Palazzo Strozzi to celebrate the artist’s special relationship with the city. The architecture of the palazzo and Florence itself become an ideal setting in which to explore how Rothko translated the tension between classical measure and expressive freedom into painting, generating through colour a renewed perception of space that transcends the two-dimensional surface of the canvas.
The exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi retraces Rothko’s entire career with over 70 works from major international museums and prestigious private collections, including The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Tate in London, Centre national d’art et de culture Georges-Pompidou in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington D.C.
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 © 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