Studio, tutela ed etica dell’opera d’arte: l’eredità di Ugo Procacci

This volume collects contributions dedicated to Ugo Procacci (1905–1991), an art historian and Florentine superintendent, highlighting in particular his commitment to the protection and restoration of the artistic heritage. His career spanned some of the most challenging periods of the twentieth century: Fascism, the Second World War, the reconstruction of Florence and the flood of 1966. The re-establishment of the Uffizi Restoration Workshop in 1932 was particularly significant, as it went on to become a model in the field of conservation. Ugo Procacci is portrayed here not merely as an art historian, but above all as an exemplary civil servant. His professional career shows how the protection of cultural heritage can be understood as a genuine civic duty, founded on responsibility, scientific expertise and an awareness of the collective value of works of art. The variety of contributions allows us to reconstruct various aspects of his personality and his work, through the testimonies of students, colleagues and scholars who were familiar with his work either directly or indirectly. A rich collection of previously unpublished black-and-white photographs completes the portrait of a historical era.