Armin Linke:
The City as Archive. Florence

Housed in the extraordinary spaces of Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai, which for years hosted the Photothek of the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz, the exhibition offers a critical and engaging reading of Florence through photographs by Italian-German artist and filmmaker Armin Linke, in dialogue with historical documentary photographs from the Photothek. The exhibition explores archives, museums and collections where works of art, documents, materials and knowledge have sedimented, forming and transforming the image of the city of Florence. The exhibition features a selection of Florentine museums, archives and collections: from the State Archives of Florence to the Central Herbarium, from the Military Geographical Institute to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, from the Galileo Museum to the Specola, from the Bardini Museum to the Historical Archives of the European Union. This itinerary is linked to a broader discourse on archiving, sedimentation and activation of knowledge, as well as on the production and policies of art and cultural heritage, beyond traditional narratives about Florence.

The exhibition will be accompanied by a series of scientific meetings and public events.

An exhibition by the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max Planck Institute
Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai
Via dei Servi 51
50122 Florence

Inauguration and preview
11 November 2025, 17–20
Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai, Via dei Servi 51, 50122 Firenze
R.S.V.P. to cityasarchive@khi.fi.it 

Duration
12 November 2025–31 January 2026

Holiday closure
22 December 2025–1 January 2026

Opening hours
Thursday 14–20, Friday 14–19, Saturday 14–19

Special opening
12–15 November 2025, 12–19

Free admission