November 2018
I have been visiting the Uffizi Gallery for over fifty years now and I have spent many hours admiring the works, enriching my understanding thanks to this superb collection. Over the course of time, I have witnessed the various changes made by the successive Directors in their efforts to intensify the value and the emotion of a visit to this unique collection, engendered by the Medici, the true and veritable fathers of Florence. During my last visit to Florence in May 2018, I was particularly impressed by the renovations, the improvements in lighting and the new wall colors that give the gallery a pleasing modern look. I was also pleasantly surprised at the fact that the custodians of the museum are now very welcoming and well informed, capable of giving proper advice to those searching out particular works of art. As a collector and lover of ancient sculpture, I was disappointed not to enter the Tribune and be able to admire the works from a close distance. Even if I understand perfectly the motivation is to protect the magnificent marble pavement… I still consider it a shame! My thanks to the Director of the Uffizi, Dr. Eike Schmidt, to the President of the Amici degli Uffizi, Countess Maria Vittoria Rimbotti, and to all of the American Friends of the Uffizi for their contributions to making a visit to this museum a truly unforgettable experience.
Claudia Quentin
