Broken. The Power of the Fragment

In Florence, from September 25, 2026 to January 24, 2027, Palazzo Strozzi presents Broken. The Power of the Fragment, a major international exhibition dedicated to the evocative power of fragments in the history of sculpture, from antiquity to contemporary art.

The exhibition brings together over eighty works from prestigious museums around the world, taking visitors on a journey through different eras and cultures - from ancient Egypt to classical Greece and from Cambodia to Mexico - exploring the historical, symbolic and aesthetic significance of the fragment.  

Alongside masterpieces by artists such as Giovanni Pisano, Michelangelo, Antonio Canova and Auguste Rodin, the exhibition features works by modern and contemporary artists, including Louise Bourgeois, Huma Bhabha, Robert Gober, Francesco Vezzoli and Danh Vo, who have turned the fragment into a tool of research and experimentation, opening up new expressive possibilities. 

For the occasion, the Renaissance Courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi is also hosting a new site-specific installation by Dutch artist Mark Manders, specifically created to engage in a dialog with the palace’s spaces and the themes of the exhibition.

The exhibition explores the causes that have led to the fragmentation of sculptures over time - from iconoclasm to wars, vandalism and natural disasters - highlighting the historical, symbolic and political value these works have acquired.
The exhibition also invites visitors to see each fragment as a standalone work of art, capable of moving beyond its original context and establishing a continuous dialog between past and present.