Ausstellung
Armin Linke:
The City as Archive. Florence
An exhibition by the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz – Max Planck Institute
Curated by Hannah Baader and Costanza Caraffa
*NOW EXTENDED TO 15 FEBRUARY 2026*
OPENING HOURS
Thursday 14:00–20:00
Friday: 14:00–19:00
Saturday: 14:00–19:00
Sunday: 14:00–19:00
VENUE
Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai
Via dei Servi 51
50122 Florence
DURATION
12 November 2025–15 February 2026
*Free admission*
For inquiries please contact: cityasarchive@khi.fi.it
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Guided tours with the curators
21 January 2026, 18:00
31 January 2026, 15:00
31 January 2026, 17:00
6 February 2026, 17:00
13 February 2026, 17:00
Registration at cityasarchive@khi.fi.it
In January, guided tours for student groups will be regularly offered, also beyond the opening hours. Please send inquiries to cityasarchive@khi.fi.it .
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Scientific meetings and public events
15 January 2026, 18:00
Lecture by Jonas Tinius: A Para-archival Anthropology. Thinking with Berlin’s Awkward Archives
21 January 2026, 17:00
Roundtable The City as Archive: Firenze e il futuro dei musei I
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Concept book
An accompanying concept book will be published in spring 2026. If you would like to be notified when the book is available, please fill out the form on the publisher's website: https://viaindustriae.it/en/projects/the-city-as-archive-florence-book-pre-order
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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.
Erbario Centrale Italiano. Botanical wax models © Armin Linke 2022
Archivio di Stato di Firenze. Cartelle di documenti storici danneggiate dall’alluvione del 1966 © Armin Linke 2022
Istituto Geografico Militare. Modello del Karakorum con il K2 © Armin Linke 2019
KHI inv. no. 92938: John Brampton Philpot, Tiratoio di Piazza d'Arno before demolition, Florence, paper negative 1855-1858, silver gelatine print by the Soprintendenza ca. 1925-1933, 28.4 x 38.4 cm © Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz 2024
12. November 2025 – 31. Januar 2026
Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florenz
Max-Planck-Institut
Palazzo Grifoni Budini Gattai
Via dei Servi 51
50122 Firenze