"Rothko in Florence": the new exhibition at Palazzo Strozzi

From March 14 to August 23, 2026, the exhibition dedicated to the American artist is open to visitors.

Rothko in Florence: the Exhibition

Palazzo Strozzi presents an extraordinary exhibition devoted to the great figure of American art, Mark Rothko, featuring an exceptional selection of works, including monumental paintings never before shown in Italy. The artworks come from major private collections and internationally renowned museums such as MoMA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, Tate in London, the Centre Pompidou in Paris, and the National Gallery of Art in Washington.

Curated by Christopher Rothko and Elena Geuna, the exhibition traces the different phases of the artist’s career: from his early figurative works, influenced by Expressionism and Surrealism, to the celebrated abstract masterpieces of the 1950s and 1960s. The exhibition also explores Rothko’s connection with the Italian artistic tradition. It pays tribute to a key figure in modern art, whose works create suspended spaces through color and light, inviting contemplation and introspection in a continuous dialogue between abstraction and spirituality.

The exhibition project extends beyond Palazzo Strozzi, involving the city of Florence with two additional venues of particular significance to the artist: the Museum of San Marco, where the works are placed in dialogue with the frescoes by Beato Angelico, and the Vestibule of the Laurentian Library designed by Michelangelo.

The exhibition Rothko in Florence is conceived and organized by the Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, in collaboration with the Museum of San Marco (Ministry of Culture – Regional Directorate of National Museums of Tuscany) and the Biblioteca Medicea Laurenziana.

The Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi is supported by public institutions including the Municipality of Florence, the Tuscany Region, the Metropolitan City of Florence, and the Florence Chamber of Commerce; private partners include Fondazione CR Firenze, Intesa Sanpaolo, Fondazione Hillary Merkus Recordati, and the Palazzo Strozzi Partners Committee.