From 15 December 2011 to 29 January 2012, in the Sala delle Reali Poste, the Uffizi hosts the eleventh edition of the “Never Seen Before” cycle with the Faces Unveiled exhibition, organised and promoted by the Friends of the Uffizi (responsible for the major contribution made for the restorations carried out for the occasion) in liaison with the Uffizi Gallery.

Curated by Fabrizio Paolucci, Director of the Department of Classical Antiquities at the Uffizi Gallery, and Valentina Conticelli, Director of the Eighteenth-century  Art Department at the Uffizi Gallery, the exhibition celebrates this new appointment of the Never Seen Before by restoring to public enjoyment a central segment of the collection of classical sculptures belonging to the grand-ducal collections: that of the portraits of emperors and private citizens which have always been displayed at intervals along the corridors of the exhibition itinerary.

The exhibition brings back to light and allows the public to view 44 busts composing the series of the “series of Caesars in marble”, the finest and most important portraits of the unseen collection of the Uffizi. Presented alongside the selection of busts are 23 works (paintings and drawings), portraits and self-portraits that illustrate how great the interest in the antique was among the artists, while at the same time also revealing direct references to the heads themselves.

The exhibition has been produced by the Uffizi Gallery and the Soprintendenza Speciale per il Patrimonio Storico Artistico ed Etnoantropologico e per il Polo Museale della città di Firenze, organised by MondoMostre for the Friends of the Uffizi and made possible by the contribution of the Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze thanks to the support of BassmArt, Gherardini and the technical sponsors ATAF and Unicoop Firenze.