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The British Institute of Florence hoa@britishinstitute.it (+39) 055 2677 8268 www.britishinstitute.itTAILOR-MADE COURSES IN FLORENCE Enjoy lectures and site visits with our internationally recognised team, including NADFAS accredited lecturers: Jeremy Boudreau, MA Head of History of Art, British Institute of Florence Lisa Kaborycha, PhD Professor of History, University of California Research Fellow, Medici Archive Project Courses to treasureNext year, the British Institute of Florence will celebrate its centenary – representing 100 years of cultural exchange and art education that is as relevant today as it ever wasStudying art in Florence offers the unique opportunity to examine works in the birthplace of the Renaissance and in their original context. With the city as the classroom, students of all ages are inspired by the rich architectural and artistic spaces that make up the urban fabric of Florence. For visitors, the city now is at its best in living memory.One of the highlights of 2015 was the opening of the Grande Museo del Duomo after a two-year, €50m renovation project. The new space boasts a scale model of the cathedral façade as it appeared until the 16th century, incorporating original works by Arnolfo di Cambio, Donatello and others. The museum also features the Baptistery’s newly restored Gates of Paradise by 15th-century sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti.This year’s re-openings of the Museo della Misericordia in January and the highly anticipated Museo degli Innocenti in June are part of the improvement and expansion of museum venues. In November, Florence will look back at the catastrophic 1966 fl ood that devastated the city and its cultural holdings. More than a remembrance of the devastation, the city will celebrate how its citizens worked together with people from around the world who answered the call to save countless precious objects. The Opera di Santa Croce will hold an exhibition highlighting fl ood-damaged works that were restored over the last half century. Members and Societies are invited to the British Institute (pictured below) for a special short course this November to mark the 50th anniversary of the fl ood. Comprising lectures, visits and workshops, The Arno Unleashed will address the central role of the Arno River in the city’s economic rise and identity as well as its destructive power through an exploration of the historic fl oods of the 13th–20th centuries. The British Institute is also able to arrange courses for Societies on request, for example on the 50-year restoration of fl ood-damaged works, from Cimabue’s Crucifi xion to Vasari’s Last Supper. As the Mayor of Florence is fond of saying, “Renaissance artists were contemporary once” and exhibitions featuring works by Ai Weiwei, Louise Bourgeois and Jan Fabre are all scheduled for autumn 2016. In addition, Comparing Great Masters of Contemporary Art with Michelangelo will pit contemporary artworks against Michelangelo’s Renaissance masterpiece, the David, at the Galleria dell’Accademia. Other exhibitions include The Four Continents at the Palatine Gallery, while the Uffi zi will host Discoveries and Massacres: Ardengo Soffi ci and Impressionism in Florence at the Uffi zi Gallery.¥ For more details about the short course in November, see www.britishinstitute.it. There will be a more in-depth look at the British Institute and its work in the autumn issue of the Review. ■ADVERTORIALwww.nadfas.org.uk NADFAS REVIEW / SUMMER 2016 45