The selfportraits collection of the Uffizi Gallery

This July began with the opening of 12 new rooms of the Uffizi Gallery that house the selfportrait section. The extraordinary exhibition presents 255 works from the rich collection of selfportraits, previously exhibited in the Vasari Corridor.

The collection was started by Cardinal Leopoldo de’ Medici in the 17th century and has never been interrupted since then. In fact, it is the largest, oldest, and most important collection of self-portraits in the world.

The selfportraits are exhibited in 12 new rooms on the first floor of the Gallery, characterized by a splendid bright pink, which wants to allude to Cardinal Leopoldo’s robe, whose statue welcomes visitors.

The works will be exhibited in rotation so that all the masterpieces in the collection can be admired, as well as for necessary conservation constraints. The current exhibition also features 36 selfportraits of women who have made a great contribution to the history of art.