If you’re visiting Florence in 2026 and want to explore the city beyond its Renaissance treasures, the exhibition Ottone Rosai. Poeta innanzitutto is well worth adding to your itinerary. Hosted at the Museo Novecento, the show celebrates Florentine painter Ottone Rosai, one of the most significant figures in 20th-century Italian art.
Running from March 7 through October 4, 2026, the exhibition offers visitors a chance to discover a Florence that feels very different from the masterpieces found at the Uffizi Gallery or the historic monuments surrounding the Florence cathedral, also known as the Duomo. Rosai’s paintings reveal the city through quieter streets, solitary figures, and everyday life during the early decades of the 20th century.
Discovering Florence Through the Eyes of Ottone Rosai
Born in Florence in 1895, Ottone Rosai maintained a deep and sometimes complicated relationship with his hometown throughout his life. His works are strongly tied to the places and people that shaped his experience of the city.
This exhibition brings together, for the first time, paintings from the Rosai Bequest alongside works from the Alberto Della Ragione Collection. Curated by Museo Novecento director Sergio Risalti, the exhibition explores Rosai’s artistic world through two central themes: the people who surrounded him and the Florence he knew so intimately.
Alongside the paintings, visitors will also find letters and archival documents from the historic Gabinetto Scientifico Letterario G.P. Vieusseux, offering a deeper look into the network of writers, poets, publishers, and artists who were part of Rosai’s life.
Portraits of Friends and the Cultural Life of Florence
One of the most compelling aspects of the exhibition is Rosai’s portraits of friends and acquaintances. These were not simply formal portraits but reflections of real relationships within Florence’s vibrant intellectual community.
Writers, poets, and fellow artists appear in his paintings as quiet yet powerful presences. Their expressions often convey subtle emotions — affection, introspection, and sometimes melancholy — revealing Rosai’s ability to capture the inner life of the people around him.
Through these works, visitors gain insight into the cultural circles that shaped Florence’s artistic life during the 20th century.
A Different View of Florence
For travelers used to seeing Florence through grand piazzas and famous landmarks, Rosai offers a completely different perspective. His paintings transform streets, hills, churches, and quiet corners of the city into deeply personal landscapes.
Places such as Via di San Leonardo, the imposing Palazzo Vecchio, and the edges of the city become more than simple views. In Rosai’s work, they reflect the emotional atmosphere of Florence — intimate, reflective, and sometimes solitary.
These scenes remind visitors that Florence is not only the city of Michelangelo and Botticelli, but also a place that continued and still today continues to inspire artists well into the modern era.
Why This Exhibition Is Worth Seeing
For travelers interested in discovering modern and contemporary art in Florence, this exhibition offers a fascinating perspective. Rosai’s paintings reveal a Florence filled with artists, writers, cafés, late-night conversations, and quiet walks through neighborhoods far from the crowds.
If you’re planning to explore the city’s modern art scene, consider pairing this exhibition with a visit to other modern art museums in Florence such as the Marino Marini museum to see how artistic life evolved after the Renaissance.
The exhibition also connects to the international art world: German artist Georg Baselitz first encountered Rosai’s work during a stay in Florence in 1965, and the Museo Novecento will soon host a major exhibition dedicated to him as well.
Visiting the Ottone Rosai Exhibition
The exhibition Ottone Rosai. Poeta innanzitutto can be visited at the Museo Novecento until October 4, 2026.
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: Closed
The museum is located just steps from Piazza Santa Maria Novella, making it an easy stop while exploring this part of Florence. After visiting the exhibition, you can continue discovering nearby churches, cafés, and historic streets that still capture the everyday atmosphere Rosai painted in his works.
Photos of exhibition by Leonardo Morfini, courtesy of Museo Novecento
