Armin Linke Explores Florence’s Hidden Archives in New Exhibition

Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai in Via dei Servi is hosting Armin Linke: The City as Archive. Florence, a project by the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max-Planck-Institut (KHI). The exhibition invites visitors to look at Florence through the places where knowledge is produced and preserved: archives, museums, scientific laboratories and historical collections. It runs until 31 January 2026 with free admission.

The exhibition unfolds across the piano nobile of the 16th-century palace, formerly home to the KHI’s photo library. Each room corresponds to an institution or field of research, creating the impression of a walk through the city. Contemporary photographs are placed in dialogue with rare historical images, encouraging visitors to explore not only the exhibition but also the sites portrayed.

A dialogue between past and present

Armin Linke, whose work often examines how societies record information, photographed Florence’s scientific and cultural institutions between 2018 and 2024. The exhibition includes large-format works, triptychs and medium-sized prints. Alongside them are 21 historical images from the KHI’s Fototeca, including works by Alinari, Brogi, Braun and Hautmann.

The curatorial team describes the project as an exploration of how Florence developed a dense network of institutions devoted to art, science and documentation. Their approach highlights how these bodies emerged over time as the city’s knowledge systems became increasingly specialised. According to the KHI, the exhibition also reflects the institute’s long-standing presence in Florence since 1897.

One thematic section focuses on the Renaissance painter Perugino, juxtaposing Linke’s recent photographs with archival materials documenting earlier exhibitions and restorations. Another installation incorporates the empty shelves of the former photo library, turning them into a spatial map for visitors to navigate.

Institutions featured

The project spans a wide constellation of Florentine institutions, many of which are rarely visited by the general public. Linke’s photographs trace a path through the city’s major repositories of historical, artistic and scientific knowledge. Among the sites featured are the Archivio di Stato, home to centuries of administrative documents; the Erbario Centrale, which preserves botanical specimens from across Italy; and the Istituto Geografico Militare, the national agency responsible for cartography.

The exhibition also looks inside the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, the state conservation institute known for its restoration laboratories, as well as the Museo Galileo and La Specola, two museums that document the history of scientific research in Florence. Other locations include the Museo Bardini, the Museo Archeologico Nazionale and the Museo di Antropologia, each offering distinct perspectives on the city’s artistic and archaeological heritage.

Beyond the historic centre, Linke visited the European University Institute’s Historical Archives in Fiesole, the Osservatorio di Arcetri, the Archivio Gucci, the Fondazione Alinari and Villa La Quiete. The itinerary also touches the Istituto Agronomico per l’Oltremare, which reflects Florence’s long-standing engagement with agricultural sciences and global research networks.

Together, these places reveal a Florence often overshadowed by its monuments: a city where knowledge is produced, catalogued and reinterpreted through generations of scholars, scientists and archivists.

A video work produced for the festival Lo schermo dell’arte is also on view, together with sound by Giuseppe Ielasi. In December, a 450-page concept-book based on the project is scheduled for publication.

Practical information

Location: Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai, Via dei Servi 51, Florence

Dates: 12 November 2025 – 31 January 2026

Admission: Free

Opening hours: Thursday: 2 p.m.–8 p.m. | Friday and Saturday: 2 p.m.–7 p.m.

Seasonal closure: 22 December – 1 January

Special openings for Lo schermo dell’arte: 12–15 November, 12 p.m.–7 p.m.

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