A unique, original initiative that has no precedent in Florence is about to get underway. Based on an idea of the artistic director of the Museo Novecento Firenze, Sergio Risaliti, six art galleries in Florence will, from Sunday 21 March, launch the Primo vere project, opening to the public from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Subject to restrictions and limitations due to the health emergency, the project will run until Tuesday 20 April 2021.

Primo vere was born in more than symbolic concomitance with the spring equinox, just as the title refers back to the publishing debut of the very young Gabriele D'Annunzio, who printed his first collection of poems when he was only 16 years old. 

The galleries involved - Frittelli, Il Ponte, La Portineria, Poggiali, Santo Ficara and Secci - are all from Florence, determined to create a system to give a strong signal of the city's cultural rebirth by embracing the idea of exhibiting works by young artists who live or permanently gravitate to the city for a month, and who now, more than ever, need support, demonstrating that Florence is not a showcase city, but a city-laboratory where young people decide to reside in order to live formative experiences, mature and intercept the interest of operators in the sector.

“Primo Vere is an initiative that opens a glimmer of generosity and attention towards creative talent” says Sergio Risaliti “An opportunity to verify the existence of a local artistic system and a creative vitality rooted in the territory. For the first time, young artists and historic galleries are launching a widespread exhibition project to highlight the potential of contemporary Florence, a workshop city, inclusive and formative, that does not want to be just a showcase and a catwalk, and where new sensibilities can find opportunities to gain experience and develop relationships in a context of new humanism that does not live and cultivate the desire for beauty in only one direction, the past, and with only one aim, the rent of position. This is another important step for the restart of Florence in the change and in the orbit of a cultural policy that recognizes in the citizens, and in young people in particular, the protagonists of the rebirth, and in art the historically necessary flywheel for the construction of a new humanism.” 

Cristina Acidini, President of the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno and former Superintendent of the Polo Museale Fiorentino, who recently spoke on the subject, adds her thoughts: “The initiative sets up an innovative model of collaboration between the public and private sectors, which goes in the direction - in my opinion highly opportune for revitalizing the cultural fabric of the city and the territory - of disseminating a varied, multiple, distributed offer of encounters with art. It seems tailor-made for that public of independent and curious visitors, including and especially local ones, that we have always endeavoured to sensitize and attract.” 

For an entire month, therefore, each gallery will present the work of one or more artists, coordinated by the scientific supervision of Director Risaliti himself, with the intention of reaffirming the concept of the system, debunking commonplaces that see Florence as a city of perennial Guelphs and Ghibellines, a museum city, a place hostile to the most radical experimentation.

THE SELECTED ARTISTS

Jessica Fillini, Veronica Greco, Melissa Morris, Gianluca Tramonti, Regan Wheat (Frittelli arte contemporanea); Jacopo Buono, Matteo Coluccia, Stefano Giuri (Galleria Il Ponte); Marco Mazzoni (Galleria La Portineria); Francesca Banchelli, Irene Lupi, Virginia Zanetti (Galleria Poggiali); Davide D'Amelio, Gabriele Mauro (Galleria Santo Ficara); Max Mondini (Galleria Secci).