Despite the fact that it may seem like carrying coals to Newcastle or running the sprinkler in a downpour, the arrival of many of American Greg Wyatt’s sculptures to Florence’s Piazza Signoria and the Sala d’Arme in the Palazzo Vecchio is a welcome change from the offerings of Giambologna, Cellini and Ammannati.
Greg Wyatt, a native of Grand View-on-Hudson, New York, presently holds the position of Sculptor-in-Residence at the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City. Cast bronze is his primary medium of artistic expression. Dr. Anthony Janson, editor of W.H. Janson’s History of Art, has stated that Wyatt’s work is based on the philosophy of “spiritual realism.”
Yesterday, Wyatt’s mammoth sixteen-foot bronze, Two Rivers, said to symbolize the creative relationship forged between the world of Florence’s Arno River and that of New York’s Hudson River, arrived in Piazza Signoria from a foundry in France. It will remain in the shadow of the Palazzo Vecchio until November 24, 2009. Wyatt has donated the statue to the City of Florence where it will take its place among other modern works in Piazza Poggi.
Inside the Sala d’Arme a number of Wyatt’s smaller works will be on display for free viewing by the public from September 5 to November 24. The excellent exhibition catalog (with Italian/English translation by Tuscan Traveler’s own Francesca Boni) will be on sale. The opening ceremony will take place at 7:30pm on Saturday, September 5.
An interesting interview with Greg Wyatt where he discusses his artistic influences and philosophy, as well as the process of creating his bronze sculptures can be seen online.