PHOENIX, AZ.- This summer, Phoenix Art Museum (PhxArt) presents the Southwest premiere of Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection, showcasing a superlative collection of historically significant works from 17th– and 18th-century Florence that are rarely seen outside of Italy. The exhibition features gilded paintings and delicate sculptures that demonstrate the distinctive Florentine Baroque style, known for its poetic and colorful symbolism. Drawn from The Haukohl Collection, works feature dramatic and vibrant depictions of religious, classical, mythological, and allegorical narratives. The first exhibition of its kind in Arizona, Florentine Baroque is an unprecedented opportunity for regional audiences to unravel the legacy of many important Florentine artists of the period who contributed to the Tuscan city’s cultural legacy, most notably supported by the Medici Grand Dukes. Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection will be on view at PhxArt from August 28, 2025 – July 26, 2026.
“Phoenix Art Museum is excited to present the Arizona and Southwest premiere of Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection,’” said Jeremy Mikolajczak, the Museum’s Sybil Harrington Director and CEO. “This exhibition offers a unique opportunity for our audiences to explore works from a specific place and art historical period that are not prominently represented in the Phoenix Art Museum Collection. Additionally, it is the only chance to view these stunning sculptures, paintings, and more in the Southwest. We are grateful to Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl for his partnership in bringing this collection to our visitors.”
Florentine Baroque: The Haukohl Collection showcases more than 30 examples of large- and small-scale works from some of the most prominent artist families in Italy. Featuring work by Florentine artists who lived and produced across Europe, the collection was assembled over more than 40 years by Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl, a Houston-based art collector and co-founder of the Medici Archive Project. The exhibition at Phoenix Art Museum uncovers the splendor and significance of the Florentine Baroque art movement. Visitors to the exhibition will discover how Florentine Baroque works unite influences of Florentine tradition with Renaissance sensibilities, yielding a style that is at once sensuous and poetic. The rare display of works also provides the opportunity to examine the legacy of the House of Medici. The Medici Bank was founded in 1397 and for hundreds of years was the largest bank in Europe. The renowned Italian banking family eventually became one of the most influential families in European history, serving as the de facto rulers of the Republic of Florence through their financial patronage of advancements in art, banking, and architecture before taking political office in the 16th century. The family’s lineage also includes four popes, thirteen cardinals, and various bishops.
Florentine Baroque is organized into three distinct thematic sections. Faith, Strength, and Courage features depictions of Biblical narratives and religious figures that reference the dominant Catholic faith in Florence as well as the Renaissance interest in humanism, a classical movement that emphasized human values. Sacred Beauty, Fierce Devotion showcases portraits of saints, but unlike previous generations of artists, works by featured 17th-century painters represent these pious figures as distinctly human rather than divine, with naturalistic forms, expressions, and mannerisms. Finally, Allegory, Gods, and Heroes presents mythological and allegorical figures and stories that reflect the intellectual, artistic, and moral ideals of the time, which was characterized by significant advancements in music, philosophy, science, and all the humanities. Undergirding each section is the marked influence of the Medici Grand Dukes of Florence, whose patronage of the arts fostered a wide range of artists in Italy and across Europe, including Leonardo Da Vinci, Raphael, and Donatello, among many other notable artists.
“The Haukohl Philanthropies are thrilled to be working with the experienced curatorial and management team of Phoenix Art Museum. We are delighted to loan the Medici Collection to the Museum for one year and work with the Arizona community to offer a wide range of special programs,” said Sir Mark Fehrs Haukohl, co-founder of the Medici Archive Project. “The exhibition is dedicated in honor of my late cousin, Dr. Howard Somers Conant, Chair of the Art Department of New York University and later, Head of the Department of Art at the University of Arizona.”
The exhibition is accompanied by a fully illustrated 288-page catalogue, Beyond the Medici: The Haukohl Family Collection, which will be available for purchase in The Museum Store with editions in English, German, and Italian. The publication features paintings, drawings, textiles, and sculpture in the collection that document the Medici patronage and artists of the period. Particular attention is paid to the Dandini Family of painters—Cesare, Vincenzo, and Pier—each reviewed in depth along with a generous bibliography. Essays by Drs. Eike Schmidt, James Bradburn, Federico Berti, Fabio Sottili, and Francesco Scasciamacchia address a broad overview of collecting and history of the period.
