The Hong Kong Jockey Club Series: Botticelli and His Times ─ Masterworks from the Uffizi will open on Friday 23 October, offering a rare glimpse at masterpieces from the Renaissance period throughout the 15th and 16th centuries.

A critical movement born out of Florence, Italy, the Renaissance saw an all-encompassing revival of everything from art and culture to philosophy and science, with a growing awareness of the natural world and a specific focus on humanist ideas and the discovery of truth. The Uffizi Galleries, primely located in the Historic Centre of Florence, houses arguably the most impressive collection of works from this period, with pieces from iconic art virtuosos including Michelangelo, Filippo Lippi, Leonardo Da Vinci and of course, Sandro Botticelli.

The upcoming exhibition at HKMoA will display 42 of these iconic works, showcasing the humanist ideals pursued by artists of the time, as reflected in their portraits and religious paintings. Among the show’s highlights are Botticelli’s Adoration of the Magi, an exemplary work that perfectly encapsulates the artist’s eye for colour, composition and detail, and St. Mary Magdalene by Perugino, a striking portrait of Mary Magdalene that dates back to the 1500s. The Renaissance was also a time when artists and their patrons had an intrinsic relationship and the exhibition includes a number of paintings that feature the Medici family members who ruled the city of Florence throughout the Renaissance period, and whose patronage was responsible for the vast majority of Florentine art during their reign.

Solely sponsored by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust, the HKMoA x Uffizi Galleries exhibition is a part of the Hong Kong Jockey Club Series, and was jointly arranged between The Leisure and Cultural Services Department, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, and Tourism of Italy. In collaboration with the Consulate General of Italy in Hong Kong and the Chinese-Italian Cultural Society, and with the First Initiative Foundation as the Community Partner, the exhibition is supported by the Italian Cultural Institute in Hong Kong as part of the city’s Italia Mia festival. A dinner will be hosted on 5 November in celebration of the exhibition and the ability to bring joy to others through the sharing of art, history and culture.

Surrounding this, the First Initiative Foundation (FIF) has organised an engaging, interactive and fun series of initiatives for the local community. Create shareable memories with the FIF IG filter and join in on FIF’s Guided Expeditions, expert-led interactive ‘Art Labs,’ and the ‘Wall of Cards,’ a self-guided itinerary allowing viewers to experience the HKMoA through the lens of an alter-ego. Find more information and register at fif.org.hk/artlabs or enquire via email ([email protected]) or phone ((852) 2525 0848).

The exhibition will run until 24 February 2021 at HKMoA, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon; hk.art.museum; (852) 2721 0116