Museo dell'Opera del Duomo
Italy · Europe
About
The Museo dell'Opera del Duomo (Museum of the Works of the Cathedral) in Florence, Italy is a museum containing many of the original works of art created for Florence Cathedral, including the adjacent Florence Baptistery and Giotto's campanile. Most of the exterior sculptures have been removed from these buildings, usually replaced by replica pieces, with the museum conserving the originals.
The museum is located opposite the east end of the Duomo, with its trilobate apse. It occupies the area of the original cathedral works where much of the sculpture it houses was originally carved, as well as pieces such as Michelangelo's David, which was initially commissioned by the cathedral works as a buttress figure, but was installed in front of the Palazzo della Signoria (now in the Galleria dell'Accademia). It opened as a museum in 1891, and now houses what has been called "one of the world's most important collections of sculpture."
Between 2009 and 2015 the museum considerably expanded, taking over the adjacent old Teatro Nuovo ("new theatre") building. This allowed the construction of large display frameworks copying the outline of the old façade of the cathedral, into which the museum's originals are placed at their appropriate positions.
As of April 2023, the director of the museum is Fr. Timothy Verdon, an American priest who has held the position since 2011.
Adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)。Photography via Wikimedia Commons.