A rare black and white photo of the Mona Lisa painting at the Uffizi is the highlight of an exhibition currently on view in the museum’s Sala del Camino.
In 1913, Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic painting remained at the Uffizi for a few months after it had been recovered following its theft from the Louvre two years earlier by Vincenzo Peruggia. The Mona Lisa was placed inside the Self-Portraits Rooms, which is where the picture was taken in December of that year.
The exhibition, “Ieri. I musei” (Yesterday. The museums) features approximately 50 images showing the transformations that occurred over three decades, between the 19th and 20th centuries, in the management of museums’ spaces and in the presentation of the works of art. There are images from the Uffizi, the Accademia, the Gallery of Modern Art, the Museum of San Marco and the Cenacolo di San Salvi, taken between 1890 and 1920 (not an easy feat then to take photographs), providing an interesting and evocative glimpse into the past of these important museums.
“Ieri. I Musei” is open Tuesday to Sunday, 8.15 am-6.50 pm, until February 1, 2015. Free entry with Uffizi ticket.
