Presentation of the Book “Villa Vittoria: una storia tutta da scrivere” at the Regional Council Headquarters in Florence
Florence, 16th October 2023. This morning, the book “Villa Vittoria una storia tutta da scrivere” (Villa Vittoria. A Story to Be Written), created by Firenze Fiera in partnership with the Uffizi Gallery and the State Archives of Florence, was presented inside the Sala Pegaso, in the headquarters of the Regional Council in Florence. This book turns the spotlight on the history of the prestigious residence of the Contini Bonacossi family, formerly belonging to the Strozzi di Mantova family and today hosting the headquarters of Firenze Fiera. The residence was once a treasure trove of ‘wonders’ and works of art collected by Alessandro Contini Bonacossi and his wife, Erminia Vittoria Galli. Together, they made it not only one of the most popular cultural ‘salons’ in the city – attended by artists, collectors, critics, and art historians – but also a ‘paradigm’ of contemporary design and taste, thanks to the contribution of Gio Ponti and Tomaso Buzzi who, in the 1930s, were commissioned to design the furnishing on the second floor of the villa, where the family used to live.
The presentation saw the participation of Eugenio Giani, President of the Region of Tuscany, Dario Nardella, Mayor of Florence (through a video message), Lorenzo Becattini, President of Firenze Fiera, Simona Pasquinucci, Coordinator of the Curatorial Department of the Uffizi Gallery, and Michele Di Sivo, Superintendent for the Archives and Libraries of Tuscany.
The publication of this book – curated by Polistampa – Leonardo Libri, in Italian and in English with a rich photographic apparatus and previously unseen documents – is dedicated to the memory of Sabina Magrini (former Director of the State Archives of Florence, who prematurely passed away).
This work follows the publication of the book “Dante scopre l’Europa. La geografia europea nella Divina Commedia” (Dante Discovers Europe. European Geography in the Divine Comedy), created by Firenze Fiera for the 700th anniversary of the poet’s death, and follows in the footsteps of the successful exhibition and conference that took place at Villa Vittoria in November 2021 to pay tribute to Vittoria Galli Contini Bonacossi on the 150th anniversary of her birth (11th June 1871), as a result of a co-operation between Firenze Fiera, the Uffizi Gallery, and the State Archives of Florence. With her charismatic, extrovert, and convivial personality, she helped her husband – Count Alessandro Contini Bonacossi – purchase works of art, contributing to the creation of the Contini Bonacossi Collection, one of the richest and most prestigious collections of paintings, sculptures, and applied arts of the 20th century. The collection is now largely preserved inside the Uffizi Gallery, and can be visited.
The book is divided into three parts. In the first one, the story of the villa and of the Contini Bonacossi family is scrupulously retraced in the light of recent studies and findings, with contributions by Daniela Fattori and Silvia Sinibaldi from the State Archives of Florence, Giovanni Contini Bonacossi, great-grandson of Vittoria, and art historian Daniele Galleni, who focuses on the sumptuous decorative apparatus created by Augusto Burchi, one of the most popular artists in Fin-de-Siècle Florence, for the first owner of the residence: Massimiliano Strozzi di Mantova.
The second part of the book includes studies and research carried out for the exhibition “Vittoria Contini Bonacossi, i Diari” (Vittoria Contini Bonacossi, The Diaries), that took place at the Limonaia of Villa Vittoria (November 18 – 21, 2021) curated by Daniela Fattori, while the third part of the book features the proceedings of the conference “Vittoria Contini Bonacossi, Gio Ponti e un capolavoro dell’arredamento italiano del Novecento” (Vittoria Contini Bonacossi, Gio Ponti and a “Masterpiece of Italian Furniture of 20th Century”), that took place inside the Sala Verde on 18th November 2021, with contributions by Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Gallery, Sabina Magrini, Rosalia Manno from the Archives for Women’s Memory & Writing “Alessandra Contini Bonacossi”, Enrico Colle, Director of the Stibbert Museum, art historian Lucia Mannini, Stefano Andrea Poli, Professor at the Polytechnic University in Milan, and Chiara Toti from the Uffizi Gallery.
The book closes with a contribution by Massimo Ruffilli talking about the new “Destination and Destiny of Villa Vittoria in Florence”, that became the headquarters of the International Congress Centre of Florence, established in 1965, and featuring a 1,000-seat Auditorium built by architect Pierluigi Spadolini, inaugurated in 1969.
“The publication of this new book on Villa Vittoria was really a beautiful ‘story to be written’ – said President of Firenze Fiera Lorenzo Becattini. Once again, this consolidates the co-operation between Firenze Fiera, the Uffizi Gallery, and the State Archives of Florence, giving our company a leading role to create cultural events and activities that are aimed at strengthening the historic memory and the prestige of our congress and exhibition venues, thanks to an always lively and stimulating discussion with the different institutional, cultural and economic realities of this territory”.
“In 1969, the Contini Bonacossi Collection was donated to the Italian Republic and to the Uffizi Gallery, featuring some of the masterpieces of ancient art that Alessandro and Vittoria had put together while carrying out their activity as antique dealers, said Eike Schmidt, Director of the Uffizi Gallery. “Thanks to this book dedicated to Villa Vittoria, new insights can turn the spotlight on the encyclopaedic quality of their collection, always displayed with an extremely high level of taste. Going through the rooms and halls of the Uffizi Museum, amidst works by Andrea del Castagno and Bramantino, Velázquez and Bernini, we will also remember and carry the black and white images that handed down the memory of Villa Vittoria with us, introducing the private apartment on the upper floor of the villa – an extraordinary ensemble of furniture and works of art resulting from the best 20th-century creativity. This book pays a necessary homage to all this, as well as to its main promoter – Vittoria – who, thanks to her witty curiosity, imported modern comfort novelties from the United States to 1930s Florence.”
“This book is the result of a fruitful collaboration between three realities based on three subjects – the headquarters, the archival sources, and the works of art. It is rightly dedicated to Sabina Magrini, as she was unable to see the results of the work that she did with her Institute on the second of these themes. However, the studies of the State Archives directed by her are a significant part of this publication and they fully express this commitment”, commented Michele Di Sivo, Superintendent for the Archives and Libraries of Tuscany.