I love finding advertisements for cultural events around this great big amazing city I get to inhabit! Recently I saw this poster and I thought: perché no??

I looked it up and discovered that The Baroque Festival Florence includes great collaborations with internationally renowned musicians. The festival is organized by Konzert Opera Florence, a non-profit musical association that offers concerts of Renaissance and Baroque music in Florentine places of artistic interest. Sign me up!

I invited some new friends from Israel to go with me and we had dinner first at a lovely trattoria, and then we attended this amazing performance of a violinist and organist, both well-known musicians from Germany.

I never know how things will actually happen even if it seems to be as simple as something like attending a concert. It keeps me on my toes!

We arrived for the concert at the beautiful if small church of Santa Felicità near the Ponte Vecchio. I love this historic church which has the distinction of having the Vasari Corridor run through it on the 2nd level and I rarely miss an opportunity to run in and see the Pontormo fresco whenever I pass by and the doors are open!

We were ushered into a side door, not the church itself, which was fine by me because I got to see this divine little chapel (and a corridor with 15th century frescoes and outdoor courtyard), known as the Sala Capitolare, which was set up with a small organ and a stand for the violinist. Best of all, for me anyway, were the frescoes that adorned this piccolo space. The central paintings on the back wall are surely Quattrocento and I have never had the chance to see them before, so this was a real treat.

It was crowded already when we arrived in this small chapel, but we found seats and I settled in for a full concert, but things would change.

A renowned German violinist played on his 17th century Italian violin, along with an organist also from Germany. The first part of the concert was held in the chapel and we were serenaded with music by Bach and Vivaldi.

Then we were all asked to go to the nave of the main church where the rest of the concert would take place, because the church’s big, 18th century organ, was required for the next part of the program! See what I mean about never knowing what to expect!

I’d love to attend more of these concerts.

Observing and thinking and learning are what makes me tick. But silliness is also necessary!

Dogs waiting for their master on an ordinary street in Florence!

As I was walking home in the late afternoon I was shocked by my long legs!

With internet and social media, English is ubiquitous! Plus there are a LOT of American foreign exchange students here on any given day!

At a favorite pizzeria!

English classes offered at a bus stop.

Oy! That hurts but it’s understandable.

It was a spectacular day!

The first photos are of the acanthus plants, in full glorious bloom.

The next three photos are of a small seating area in the garden that is circled by these 3 trees which have been pruned to form a canopy surrounding the space. It’s quite spectacular in person, but hard to capture with snapshots.

The next few photos are of one of my favorite buildings in all of Florence. I would love to live in a space like this with a pink rose climbing over the front door!

The final blossom of a nearby magnolia tree

Some pale pink oleander

On the early afternoon of the last Sunday in May, I took a long walk up to the Piazzale Michelangelo and encountered some beautiful views along the way.

This view never fails to impress

The same view from Piazzale Michelangelo

And, perche no, a view of the David from which the piazza takes its name.

Tourists are out in force and doing silly things. Their shirts say they are ballerine (plural for ballerina) but they don’t look like dancers to me.

After spending some time on the piazzale, I went down to the Rose Garden, which I’ll be posting about soon. Alla prossima!

Postscript: A few days later I walked by the same magnolia tree and was rewarded with the full blossom of the bud seen above.

Also, a pink oleander had begun to join in the fun!

Today in Italy, June 2nd, is Festa della Repubblica (Republic Day), a national holiday commemorating the establishment of the Italian Republic in 1946.

But, also: this intense eruption!

Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits

If you are lucky enough to be in London now or anytime before early October, you can catch a fascinating exhibition of some of John Singer Sargent’s portraits. I recently posted on another Sargent exhibition; he is definitely having a moment in honor of his death centenary.

To mark 100 years since the death of the painter John Singer Sargent, English Heritage has put on a show of 18 portraits of American heiresses that places their lives and notable achievements at the forefront of the story.

Known as the “dollar princesses”, the women were part of the transatlantic marriage phenomenon of the late 19th century. They travelled to the UK to marry into the British aristocracy, bringing wealth with them. The cash injection from one such marriage helped restore Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire.

Many of the dollar princesses went on to make significant contributions to British society, including Nancy Astor, who became the first sitting female Member of Parliament (MP) in the House of Commons. She held her seat of Plymouth Sutton for 25 years.

Another of the sitters was Dame Jessie Wilton Phipps who also had a career in politics, being elected to London County Council in 1907 and later chairing the Central Council for the London Blind.

An example of the often loveless marriages of the dollar princesses was that of Consuelo Vanderbilt, whose charcoal portrait (above) has never been on public display until now. She was opposed to her marriage to the Duke of Marlborough and wept behind her veil on her wedding day. After the wedding the duke informed her he had only agreed to the marriage to save his ancestral home of Blenheim Palace.

Despite her unhappy marriage, the new duchess was revered by the poorer tenants on her husband’s estate and her progressive politics were reflected in her advocacy for social reforms and backing the Liberal Party’s welfare policies including free school meals, free medical checks for children and pensions for the elderly. She was also a supporter of women’s suffrage.

The exhibition, titled Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits, is the first time the portraits have all been brought together in one place. Wendy Monkhouse, the curator, tells The Art Newspaper: “It is easy to simply view the [dollar princesses] as merely sitters to Sargent but here, we consider them as individuals, and their lives are described in the context of broader themes in women’s history.”

She added that the exhibition doesn’t shy away from the more troubling aspects of the portraits. She says: “We have tackled difficult and uncomfortable issues like misogyny, stereotyping and xenophobia head on, which all played a significant role in constructing the image of the American heiress in their lifetimes, and still do today. Sargent’s depiction of the women reflects the world of power and privilege they came from, but he also conveys their character, energy and vitality.’’

Sargent, an ex-pat American who lived and travelled across Europe, was the most sought-after portraitist of the Gilded Age. A Sargent commission was the perfect accompaniment for these new Anglo-American marriages, demonstrating the status, wealth and power that came with combining American new money and British nobility.

The portraits, a mixture of oil and charcoal sketches, are on display at Kenwood in Hampstead, London until 5 October. Jenny Abramsky, the chair of the Friends of Kenwood, said in a statement: “Art is at the heart of what we do, and being able to bring such outstanding art to Kenwood in Sargent’s centenary year reinforces our confidence in the future of Kenwood as a uniquely valuable asset for English Heritage and the wider community.”

Heiress: Sargent’s American Portraits, Kenwood, London, until 5 October

https://www.theartnewspaper.com/2025/05/20/john-singer-sargent-exhibition-london-shines-light-on-lives-of-dollar-princesses

Throughout this wonderful city are a multitude of sometimes very beautifully painted tabernacles, offering thanks to God and seeking protection from him. No wonder Florence is called an open air museum! Asking the gods for help is as old as mankind.

I walk by this particular tabernacle pretty often and always stop and admire the quattrocento style painting. We see Mary and her infant son, along with St. John the Baptist at our lower right and St. Peter on the left. Above the saints are two angels.

I love the trim work at the top of the throne on which Mary sits. It reminds me of many Gothic era picture altars and frames as well as the trim work on some buildings.

Above, St. John

Above, St. Peter with his key. I always wonder, who decided what the painter would paint? Was it the person/association that commissioned the work? Who had jurisdiction over this particular street corner. Was there some event that spurred the commission? Who was the artist? These and many more questions exist happily in my mind as I leave the beautiful work of art and wander on my merry way, delighted that I live in such a place that I can pass by this kind of thing on any given day!

Many moons ago when I was an ambitious and dedicated student of American art, I was so fortunate to receive two separate Fellowships at the Met’s American Wing. Almost unbelievably, the Met sponsored the extensive research and writing of my doctoral dissertation over nearly four years on American 19th century sculpture and while there, I was asked to contribute to several scholarly publications being produced by the department. I knew then, as I know now, these were my halcyon days.

Last year the American Wing celebrated its 100th birthday and this video was produced as a part of that effort. I think you will learn a lot about the department and be impressed with its holdings and the way in which they display their incomparable collections.

In late May the jasmine is covering the city and smells divine. I loved this wall of flowers on my way into the Sant’Ambrogio market and even went so far as to snap a couple pictures of myself in front of it. I generally don’t indulge in this behavior, but it was so beautiful, I thought, perche no?

John Singer Sargent is one of my absolute favorite American artists and his work is the subject of a current spectacular exhibition in New York. Please watch and enjoy. I think you’ll like Sargent’s work a lot!