Balloon Monkey (Blue)

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“Balloon Monkey (Blue)” by Jeff Koons, 2006
Palazzo Strozzi
Piazza degli Strozzi
Florence, December 2021

“The series of contemporary art exhibitions at Palazzo Strozzi continues with Jeff Koons Shine. Works by the renowned and controversial American artist will be on display from October 2 to January 30, 2022 in a major exhibition featuring over 30 of the artist’s most celebrated works from the mid-70s through to the present day. The courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi will host Balloon Monkey (Blue) 2006-2013, created from mirror-polished stainless steel with transparent colour coating.” (Jeff Koons ‘Shine’ at Palazzo Strozzi, The Florentine)

Dziórawy Kocioł

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Dziórawy Kocioł (The Leaky Cauldron)
Grodzka
Stare Miasto (Old Town)
Kraków, September 2018

“Dziórawy Kocioł (The Leaky Cauldron) invites all practicing witches, warlocks and wizards-in-training to its underground realm full of magic and enchantments. This Harry Potter-inspired cafe offers its very own butterbeer (kremowy piwo), pumpkin juice and an array of other bubbling potions and frothing elixirs - all of which are non-alcoholic, and some of which actually include dry ice(!). There's also an enchanted pantry of pastries and desserts, plus more substantial fare like sandwiches and pierogi. Perfect for teens, familes or any pupil of Hogwarts, the staff keep a strict eye out for Muggles so you can practice your spells in peace, and there are boardgames galore, though one of the rooms may be haunted.... Host to occassional magic shows, the cafe also includes a small shop where you can purchase wizard wands, magical gadgets and witchy sweets, made no doubt from dragon tears and eye-of-newt. Bewitchin'.” (Dziórawy Kocioł, In Your Pocket)

Ladybugs

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Ladybugs by Jorge Vieira, 1998
Praça do Município
Lisbon, April 2019

Saint Anthony with the Child Jesus

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Saint Anthony with the Child Jesus
Sant'Antonio dei Portoghesi
Via dei Portoghesi
Rome, June 2019

“The national church of the Portuguese people was originally founded in 1445 at the behest of Cardinal Antonio Martinez de Chaves adjacent to a hospice for Portuguese pilgrims. The hospice, with a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Bethlehem, had been founded in the fourteenth century by the noblewoman Guiomar of Lisbon. It was rebuilt in 1638 to a design by Martino Longhi the Younger. The ribbed dome was designed by Carlo Rainaldi in 1674. Work on the facade continued under Cristoforo Schor in 1695. The stained glass window above the door depicts St Anthony with the Child Jesus.” (Sant'Antonio dei Portoghesi, Wikipedia)

Kaple Panny Marie Šancovní

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Kaple Panny Marie Šancovní (Chapel of Virgin Mary within the Walls)
V Pevnosti, Vyšehrad
Prague, September 2017

“This small pilgrim Baroque chapel, built in 1750 was desecrated during reign of Emperor Joseph II. In 1892 was bought back from the state for religious purposes and reconstructed in neo-Renaissance style by architects Bedrich Münzberger and Antonín Baum. The name of the chapel ‘In the Wall / Šancovní’ is derived from the position of the building directly on the fortress' fortification wall. Chapel has square groundplan and chancel in shape of natural cave. Octahedral chaple's lantern has a copper cupola with Vyšehrad coat of arms.” (Kaple Panny Marie Šancovní, Waymarking)

Hylas Surprised by the Naiades

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“Hylas Surprised by the Naiades” by John Gibson, 1827
Tate Britain
Millbank
London, September 2014

“This life-size statue group in white marble presents a scene from Greek mythology in which the boy Hylas, the companion of Hercules, goes to collect water from a stream, and is lured into the depths by water nymphs who are entranced by his beauty. The nymphs (Naiades) simultaneously gaze admiringly and move to physically detain the boy. The taller nymph places her face against Hylas’s hair and strokes his cheek while gently restraining his arm. The other places a hand around the boy’s waist and takes his hand in hers. Hylas seems to lose his grip on the pitcher in surprise. His extended leg suggests that he is trying to leave, although he also appears entranced by the naked naiad.” (Hylas Surprised by the Naiades, Tate)

Pietà

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“Pietà” (Piety) by Francesco Vezzoli, 2021
Piazza della Signoria
Florence, December 2021

“After his exhibition in the city in 2014, Francesco Vezzoli returns to Florence to take on its most symbolic places: Piazza della Signoria and Palazzo Vecchio, in the wake of a project that has seen famous international artists as protagonists in recent years. Piazza della Signoria hosts the work ‘Pietà’ (2021), a monumental twentieth-century rampant lion installed on an ancient base crushes the head of a Roman from the second century AD between its jaws in a pastiche between different artistic eras which has become the hallmark of many recent works by the artist.” (Francesco Vezzoli in Florence, Mousse Magazine)