‘The Fourth Estate’, May 1 Labor Day & Free Museums

On loan from the Museo del Novecento in Milan, ‘The Quarto Stato’ (the Fourth Estate), a painting by Pellizza da Volpedo, will be displayed in Palazzo Vecchio from Sunday, May 1.  It is not a coincidence that the exhibition will open on Italy’s national Labor Day—also known as Festa de Lavoratori.

The national holiday was formally established in Italy at war’s end, in 1945. On May 1 (Primo Maggio), Italians celebrate and commemorate the social and economic achievements of the labor union movement.

The Fourth Estate depicts a moment during a labor strike, when representatives calmly but confidently stride in before a crowd of workers, to negotiate their rights on the job. After the artist’s death (1907), the painting became a symbol for the Italian socialist viewpoint. It was later on recognized as one of the most important Italian works of art at the turn of the 20th  century.

The piece was created between 1898 and 1901. Da Volpedo was a divisionist; the style is recognizable by the separation of colors into individual dots or patches which interact optically with each other. Divisionism is a subcategory within Neo-Impressionism, typically used in late 19th century art. The painting will be showcased in Palazzo Vecchio for one month and will return to its original location in Milan after that period.

During May 1, many city and state run museums (for a list of the latter, click here) are open to the public free of admission; this includes Palazzo Vecchio (for Domenica Metropolitana). Below ara all the local state run museums accessible with free entrance on Sunday, May 1:

Uffizi Gallery (8:15 am – 6:50 pm); Palazzo Pitti complex (8:15 am – 6:50 pm); Boboli Gardens (9 am – 6:45 pm); Galleria dell’Accademia (9 am – 6:45 pm); the Bargello Museum (8:45 am – 7 pm); and the National Archaeological Museum of Florence (8:30 am – 2 pm).

The day also brings a traditional parade of Florentines in Renaissance costume in Piazza della Signoria (10 am), ending with a flag-throwing competition for the Marzocco prize. (ted de veer).