After years of waiting, the historian Palace of the High Priestess di Siena, a symbol of Renaissance architecture, is reborn thanks to its acquisition by Opera Laboratori, becoming a new centre of international art.
This ambitious project aims to bring the Palace back to the center of Italian cultural institutions with a series of exhibitions of international importance.
THEinitiation to the public took place with the inauguration of a show dedicated to the Argentine artist Julius Le Park, a pioneer of kinetic art and a great supporter of human rights.
The Palace of the Papesses and its origins
The Palazzo delle Papesse, originally the historic residence of Caterina and Laudomia, sisters of Pope Pius II, has been transformed into a symbol of inclusiveness and participation, where space is given to art and culture.
The building, also known as Palazzo Piccolomini, commissioned in 1459 by Caterina and Laudomia Piccolomini, sisters of Pope Pius II, Today it represents one of the most important testimonies of Renaissance architecture in Siena. Galileo Galilei stayed here in 1633 after being condemned by the Holy Office. During his stay, he conducted astronomical observations from the loggia of the Palace, which influenced his work on the laws of mechanics.
Available to the public are educational activities, inclusive visits and workshops through the “Papesse Lab” project.
To participate in all the events and exhibition appointments Opera Laboratori has created the ““Curious Card”, which is available online or at the ticket office of the Palace. This card will allow a 10% discount on products on sale at the bookshop, on educational workshops and on drinks in the bistro located on the ground floor, where there is also a bookshop with merchandising and dedicated products and a bistro.
The planned initiatives
The debut of this rebirth is set with the exhibition of about 80 works by “Julio Le Parc. The discovery of perception”, an Argentine sculptor and painter, master of kinetic art and Op Art.
This is the largest solo exhibition of the Argentine artist ever held in Italy, after his participation in the 33rd Venice Biennale in 1966, when he received the prestigious International Grand Prize for Painting.
Among other initiatives planned in 2025 a big one has been announced exhibition dedicated to the cartoonist and writer Hugo Pratt, the famous creator of Corto Maltese, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his death and the twentieth anniversary of the first exhibition in Siena.
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