From Saturday 15 June to Monday 30 September 2024, the Palazzo dell'Opera del Duomo will host the exhibition ‘La Torre allo specchio. The Many Lives of the Bell Tower of Pisa Cathedral'.
Conceived and organised by the Opera della Primaziale Pisana on the occasion of the 850th anniversary of the laying of the monument's foundation stone, it is curated by Stefano Renzoni.
Through more than 100 works including drawings, engravings, paintings and sculptures ranging from the 13th century to contemporary times, the exhibition aims to illustrate how the perception of the world's most famous bell tower has changed over the centuries. The figurative arts bear witness to how much the identity of the Tower and the meaning attributed to it has profoundly changed with changing sensibilities and times.
A tale of works, images, restorations, prints, photographs to represent the Cathedral Bell Tower over the centuries.
Usually depicted until the 17th century as part of a whole, the Tower located near the Cathedral and identified as the Bell Tower, is architecture that marks the liturgical hours and marks the appointments of men towards God. From the 18th century onwards, it is increasingly depicted isolated, separated from the rest of the ecclesiastical buildings, in a sort of secularisation of the perception of the building.
From Campanile to Tower, from Bell Tower to Leaning Tower. Transformed into a fetish, into a self-referential icon, the Leaning Tower of Pisa is interpreted today as an image of the city, but also as a symbol of Italy in the world, displaying a surprising communicative power. A fate that unites it with other contemporary icons, such as the Mona Lisa, destined to be consumed by the eyes of distracted, hurried visitors, often unaware of the meanings that the work carries.
Visiting hours: daily from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m.
