FLORENCE.- On July 13, at 9 pm, in Florence’s Galleria dell’Accademia, Philip Glass will give a solo piano concert in front of Michelangelo's David. After the extraordinary success of the Patti Smith Reading, the museum offers another important initiative associated with the exhibition Robert Mapplethorpe. Perfection in Form.

One of the founders of Minimalism, Glass is among the most influential composers of our time. When his work was considered too innovate for traditional auditoriums, he often performed in art centers, and now returns to a museum to pay tribute to a personal friend. Mapplethorpe often photographed Glass; the most celebrated example is in the exhibition. The two also shared artistic goals, as Glass explains: “The subject and the structure are the same. It’s what I was doing in my own music, and that is what I think Robert was doing in his work.”

Shortly before he died of AIDS, exactly 20 years ago, Mapplethorpe created a charitable institution. The Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, co-promoters of the exhibition, actively supports the two goals he established: the recognition of photography as a fine art on a par with painting and sculpture, and research in the fight against AIDS and HIV infection. In this spirit, all proceeds from the Glass concert will go to LILA, the Italian League for the Fight Against Aids. This NPO, founded in 1987, promotes solidarity while combating all forms of human right violations against those with AIDS or HIV.

Only a small number of invitations to the concert are available, and only at the LILA office (via delle Casine 12r, Florence, behind the church of Santa Croce, 055-2479013), open Monday-Friday, 5:00-7:00. To obtain a ticket a donation to LILA is required.