Opera magazine

The Baptistery’s Northern Gate (1403-1424) are the symbol of the beginning of Renaissance in Florence, and they are still a source of inspiration for budding artists. Ghiberti won the contest for the Baptistery’s second doors (tough luck for Brunelleschi, this time…) and that contest in 1400 is usually considered the foundation stone of Renaissance. More than six hundred years later the North Door is still well alive in the Florentine culture landscape, and it has inspired a “new” artwork… That new artwork is “Passages through the door”, a life - size replica of the Ghiberti’s North Door made by Arts student in Florence, in the context of a project involving the Liceo Artistico di Porta Romana and the Richmond University Florence. The “new” Northern Gate: Florentine Renaissance with an Anglo - American twist There is a long story of Anglo - Americans that fell in love with Florence and its huge heritage and who became involved in the restoration, preservation and promotion of Florence in the world: think about the movie A room with a view, or the life of Frederick Stibbert, the founder of what will become the Stibbert Museum. In the “Passages through the door” project, Italian and Anglophones Arts students of the Liceo Artistico and of the Richmond University created a new version of the Northern Gate, with 28 new formelle, the panels of the door. The “Passages through the door” Northern Gate has been part of the “Art Clash 2016: Abbattere i muri - costruire i ponti” (breaking down walls - building up bridges) exhibition in the Palazzo Vecchio’s Sala d’Armi, along the Tuscan Anglo - American Festival in Florence. Meanwhile, the original North Door… You can enjoy the Ghiberti’s masterpiece (the real one!) in the New Opera Duomo Museum: it is now completely restored after almost three years of work. The Baptistery has now a replica. Photo by Claudio Giovannini

Opera magazine

Reinventing a Masterpiece: a contemporary reinterpretation of the Ghiberti’s North Door