The Renaissance sculptures in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria, including the replica of Michelangelo’s David, will soon have a shiny new neighbour: Jeff Koons’s Pluto and Proserpina (2010-13). The 11ft work in gold-coloured stainless steel will stand in front of the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence’s town hall and civic museum, from 25 September until 28 December. Inside, Koons’s Gazing Ball (Barberini Faun) (2013), from his series of plaster casts of Greco-Roman sculptures, will be presented in the Hall of Lilies, where Donatello’s original bronze Judith and Holofernes (around 1457-64) is on permanent display.
The presentation, organised by the Mus.e association for Florence’s civic museums, was the initiative of Fabrizio Moretti, the Old Master dealer and director of the city’s art and antiques fair, the Biennale Internazionale dell’Antiquariato. With funding from Moretti Fine Art, David Zwirner and the Florence Chamber of Commerce, the event coincides with the opening of the Biennale’s 29th edition (26 September-4 October). Koons is due to attend as the guest of honour.
Meanwhile, the Galleria dell’Accademia, which houses the original David (1501-04), has announced an exhibition pairing works by Michelangelo and other Old Masters with pieces by ten contemporary artists: Koons, Marina Abramovic, Cai Guo-Qiang, Maurizio Cattelan, Damien Hirst, Yayoi Kusama, Bruce Nauman, Richard Prince, Gerhard Richter and Cindy Sherman. The show is due to run from 14 June 2016 to 8 January 2017.