From today at the Uffizi the first child-friendly work: the Thebaid by Beato Angelico

After being displayed at the major monographic exhibition dedicated to Beato Angelico held at the Prado Museum in Madrid, the famous painter’s Thebaid has returned to its home at the Uffizi Galleries. The masterpiece is therefore once again on view in Room 7 on the second floor of the museum, where paintings by Masolino, Masaccio and Gentile da Fabriano can also be seen.

According to museum educators and room assistants, the Thebaid is the Uffizi painting most loved by children, which is why it was decided to give it a new, child-friendly location: the rectangular panel detailing the lives of the Holy Fathers in the desert near Thebes has been placed in a shatterproof and anti-reflective glass case, specially built 65 centimeters above the ground so that it can be clearly seen in all its details even by young visitors.

"Experts from our Education Department have reported to us that the Thebaid is a favorite work of art for children entering the Gallery. So many little ones, every day, stop to look at it fascinated, discovering the many stories, the many characters, the many animals depicted in this masterpiece. Therefore, we decided to think of a placement that would take into account the point of view of this special and very important category of observers, so as to stimulate even more their interaction with art and with this painting in particular, which so clearly captures their attention. So, from today we can say that we are the first museum in the world with a child-friendly masterpiece," said the director of the Uffizi Galleries, Eike Schmidt.

Image: Beato Angelico, Thebaid (1420; tempera on panel, 73 x 208 cm; Florence, Uffizi)

From today at the Uffizi the first child-friendly work: the Thebaid by Beato Angelico

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