The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will present the exhibition “Beyond the Medici: The Haukohl Family Collection” from Feb. 1 to May 18.
The exhibition comes from the largest and most important collection of Florentine baroque art outside of Italy, assembled over more than 40 years by Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl, an art collector and cofounder of the Medici Archive Project. “Beyond the Medici” illustrates how Florentine artists of the 17th and 18th centuries influenced European art history, politics and philosophy.
Extraordinary allegories, religious motifs, genre scenes and portraits by Jacopo da Empoli, Felice Ficherelli, Francesco Furini and Onorio Marinari form the core of the collection. The exhibition also devotes a section to artists, writers and scholars that sheds light on the intellectual history of Florence under the reign of the Medici grand dukes. Four polychrome stucco reliefs by Antonio Monauti show Renaissance greats Michelangelo Buonarroti, Niccolò Machiavelli, Marsilio Ficino and the polymath Galileo Galilei.
The exhibition includes paintings by three generations and over 100 years of the Dandini family, beginning with Cesare Dandini (1596-1657). Dandini founded a school of painters of classical themes personified by female figures, whose beauty was calculated to appeal to private collectors. His younger brother, Vincenzo (1609-1675), is represented in the exhibition by impressive representations of St. Mark the Evangelist and the goddess Juno. The leader of the younger generations of the dynasty, which extended into the 18th century, was Pietro Dandini (1646-1712) whose large canvas “Esther Before Ahasuerus” lends a splendidly colorful presence to the show.
As a whole, the exhibition shows the deep interest of the Florentine baroque for science and for painting based on disegno (drawing). Several art works feature magnificent 17th-century period frames. The rich tradition of the Haukohl family in collecting art follows the example of the Medici and will undoubtedly offer many surprises to visitors.
During the High Renaissance, Florence was an important center for the arts, fueled by the powerful Medici family of bankers, politicians and Vatican popes who served as patrons for many artists. The Medici continued to commission art during the baroque era that followed the Renaissance. Haukohl’s focus on the Florentine baroque is interesting because it sheds light on a unique chapter of the baroque era. During this time, artists developed a style that was sensuous, deeply religious, poetic and classical.
“The important scholarship and superior humanities programs offered at the University of Georgia immediately drew us to include the Georgia Museum of Art in the American tour of the Medici Collection. We look forward to sharing with the students and broad communities of Georgia the joy of the baroque,” Haukohl said.
Related events include:
- Elegant Salute XVIII: Baroque and Beyond, the museum’s fundraising gala, followed by the Rock Me Amadeus Dance Party with DJ Mahogany, on Feb. 1 from 6:30 p.m. to midnight (proceeds benefit student programs at the museum; $400 per person for Friend + Annual Fund Members; $450 all others; purchase tickets or sponsor at https://bit.ly/es-2025)
- A life-drawing class inspired by baroque art on Feb. 8 from 2-4 p.m. (free; email gmoa-tours@uga.edu to register)
- Student Night on Feb. 13 from 5:30-8 p.m., with free food, gallery activities and art projects for UGA students, hosted by the Georgia Museum of Art Student Association with support from the UGA Parents Leadership Council (register at https://bit.ly/wild-hearts-25)
- The museum’s biennial Emerging Scholars Symposium: “Beyond the Center: Art Histories from the Periphery,” presented in partnership with UGA’s Association of Graduate Art Students at the Lamar Dodd School of Art on Feb. 20 and 21 with a keynote lecture by Dr. Sheila Barker
- An After Hours reception on Feb. 21 from 5:30-7 p.m. (free for Friend + Annual Fund Members at the Reciprocal level and above; $25 per person for all others; register at https://bit.ly/medici-after-hours)
- The museum’s winter open house on Feb. 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., with Family Day from 10 a.m. to noon, door prizes, art talks, drop-in art activities (1-5 p.m.) and a performance by Amethyst Baroque Ensemble (register at bit.ly/open-house-winter-25)
- A talk by Paola De Santo, associate professor of Italian at the University of Georgia, on March 26 at 2 p.m.
- And a 30-minute conversation on Pietro Dandini’s painting “Esther Before Ahasuerus” on April 16 at 2 p.m.
Family Day is sponsored by Heyward Allen Cadillac-GMC-Toyota. Student Night is sponsored by the UGA Parents Leadership Council. All programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated.
“Beyond the Medici” was organized by Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl with the support of the Haukohl Philanthropies.