FLORENCE, ITALY – A Florence elementary school canceled a class visit to a religion-themed art exhibition because it might irk non-Catholic students, La Nazione regional daily reported.
The show titled Divine Beauty is on view at Palazzo Strozzi and includes The White Crucifixion, a canvas by Russian Jewish painter Marc Chagall, as well as work by Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso and Vincent Van Gogh.
School officials decided to cancel the visit “to accommodate the sensibilities of non-Catholic families, given the religious theme of the show”, La Nazione reported.
Several parents objected on the grounds that much of art history is based on sacred subjects, Christian or otherwise.
“They can rest easy: here is on display the history of art, t’s not a confessional or characterized in a religious sense exhibit. Divine beauty is secular to 100%”, the director of Palazzo Strozzi, Arturo Galantine, said. He also proposed a lesson class exposure.
Discover more from Florence Daily News
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.