Emin & Caravaggio: Spring Shows in Florence

This spring, Florence will be hosting two exhibitions that will take visitors on a journey through time and art: Tracy Emin: Sex and Solitude, and Caravaggio and the Twentieth Century. From Emin’s deeply personal explorations of trauma and identity to the scholarly revival of Caravaggio’s legacy, these exhibitions invite guests to explore the work of two unique artists. 

Tracy Emin: Sex and Solitude, curated by Arturo Galansino, offers an intimate exploration of one of the most provocative and influential artists of the 20/21st century. Running from March 16 to July 2025 at Palazzo Strozzi, this monographic exhibition traces the raw and unflinching work of Emin, a Turner-Prize shortlisted artist renowned for her confrontations with personal trauma, love, and the body. Featuring 60 works – some of which have never been seen in Italy – from across various mediums, including painting, drawing, sculpture, neon, and video, the exhibition will take visitors on a journey through Emin’s career from the 1990s to the present, shedding light on the emotional and physical battles she has fought, including sexual violence, abortion, and cancer.

Emin rose to fame with her work ‘My Bed,’ which was nominated for the 1999 Turner Prize and was sold in 2014 for £2.5 million. It represents the forlorn aftermath of a broken relationship, with her curating a piece of work many can relate to. Today, Emin teaches at the Royal Academy in London.

The exhibition will be open Monday to Friday from 2 to 8 pm (Thursday until 11 pm), and weekends from 10am to 8pm. Entry is priced at €17 for a regular ticket, €30 for under 30s, and €6 for youths up to the age of 18, with additional concession prices available on the event website.

Caravaggio and the 20th Century, opening March 27 at Villa Bardini, offers a captivating journey through the art, life, and legacy of two iconic figures in Italian cultural history, Roberto Longhi and Anna Banti. Curated by Cristina Acidini and Claudio Paolini, this exhibition honours the collaboration between art historian Roberto Longhi and his wife, writer and translator Anna Banti, who’s legacy left a mark on the study of Caravaggio and 20th century Italian art.

The centrepiece for the exhibition is Il ragazzo morso da un ramarro (Boy Bitten by a Lizard), an early masterpiece by Caravaggio, painted around 1595. The work, long thought lost, was rediscovered by Longhi in 1928. The exhibition explores the couple’s legacy, including their profound influence on the reappraisal of Caravaggio, whose work had been forgotten about for centuries until Longhi’s rediscovery. Visitors will be able to see over 40 works, including drawings, watercolours, photographs, and archival documents, shedding light on the life and home of Longhi and Banti in Villa II Tasso, just outside Florence, where their vast collection remains today. 

This exhibition is a collaboration between Fondazione CR Firenze and Fondazione Longhi, and spans 12 rooms, illustrating the interconnected relationships among major 20th century Italian cultural figures. Documentaries on the artists Carpaccio and Carrà provide additional context, enhancing the exhibition’s narrative. Caravaggio and the 20th century will be open from Tuesday to Sunday, 10 am to 7:30 pm, until July 20, with admission costing €10. It promises to be an unmissable tribute to two extraordinary intellectuals who shaped the cultural landscape of the last century. (Mina Lozanova)