Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection

Journey to 17th and 18th Century Florence, Italy at the Currier Museum of Art this fall. Opening September 10, 2026, Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection features nearly 40 paintings and sculptures from a period of intense creative energy that also saw the rise of opera and theatre.

Category: Baroque, 18th Century, Florence

Giovan Domenico Ferretti, Harlequin and His Lady, Haukohl Collection.

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About the show:

Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection is your passport to 17th and 18th century Florence, Italy this fall at the Currier. Nearly 40 paintings and sculptures evoke a a world in transition, as the rise of opera and theater opened up new ways of capturing the human experience. See Florentine masterpieces imbued with the spirit of the stage and displayed in gorgeous frames from the period.

About the collection:

Paired with works from the Currier, Florentine Baroque draws on the collection of Sir Mark Haukohl, a Houston-based collector and co-founder of the Medici Archive Project. Under his stewardship, the Haukohl family has created the most important private collection of Florentine Baroque art in North America. The exhibition at the Currier is the first opportunity to see this collection in New England.

Dates on view:

This exhibition is on view from September 10, 2026 through April 11, 2027

The cultural and intellectual life of Florence:

A special section of the exhibition, "Artists, Writers, Academics, and Musicians," highlights the vibrant intellectual and cultural life of Florence during the rule of the Medici grand dukes. This era saw the founding of more than 20 artistic, literary, and scientific societies, alongside the emergence of opera and the rise of public theaters—marking a shift away from exclusive courtly entertainment. Anchoring this section are four striking stucco relief portraits of Michelangelo, Niccolò Machiavelli, Galileo Galilei, and Marsilio Ficino. 

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