The “Gates of Paradise” restored after 27 years

FLORENCE, ITALY – It is returning to public view after a 27-year restoration, the “Gates of Paradise”, the masterpiece by Lorenzo Ghiberti. Made of bronze and gold for the Baptistery of Florence, the name of the “Gate” was given by Michelangelo.

Removed to protect it from the Second World War in 1943,it  was damaged by the flood of the Arno river in 1966 and replaced with a copy in 1990. Saturday, September 8 the “Gates of Paradise” will be back in the Museum Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore.

Directed and performed by the Opificio delle Pietre Dure in Florence, commissioned by the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore, the restoration was made possible thanks to funding from the Ministry for Cultural Heritage and Cultural Activities and contribution of the Friends of Florence. The long and complex restoration will be shown to the international press Friday September 7, the next day, Sunday, September 9 the “Gate” will be visible by the public audience.

Friends of Florence is responsible for funding the restoration of discreet sections of these world famous bronze doors from Florence’s Baptistry as well as the reassembly of the panels in the door frames. Three panels and parts of the sculptural frame from the doors were exhibited in the United States during 2007 and 2008 at the High Museum in Atlanta, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, and the Seattle Art Museum.

Friends of Florence will celebrate the unveiling of the completed Gates of Paradise at their new home at the Museo Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore on September 18, 2012, together with the publication of The Gates of Paradise: Lorenzo Ghiberti, a book by curator and historian Gary Radke. Funding for the book was provided by Board member Kathe Dyson and John Dyson.