Giovanni Fattori Civic Museum of Livorno
A collection of art from Livorno and Tuscany with the works of the Macchiaioli artists on display
The Giovanni Fattori Civic Museum contains a rich collection of art from Livorno and Tuscany in the rooms of the splendid Villa Mimbelli, which became a museum in 1994.
Francesco Mimbelli, a merchant who had come to Livorno for business interests, entrusted architect Vincenzo Micheli with the building of his new residence, which was completed in 1868. Villa Mimbelli has an eclectic style and is spread over three floors. It retains many of the original frescoes and decorations by Annibale Gatti and the Livorno-born brothers Pietro and Giuseppe Della Valle.
All the rooms in the villa (such as the green parlor, the Moorish room and the billiards room) can be visited. The beautiful elements inside the villa include a monumental staircase with ceramic putti inspired by sculptures by Della Robbia.
The building is surrounded by a thriving park that has been expanded over the years and includes the former barns (which host important temporary exhibitions) and an art library.
The collection on the first floor of the Civic Museum includes works by some of Livorno's most important artists, like Enrico Pollastrini, Guglielmo Micheli, Ulvi Liegi, Oscar Ghiglia, Giovanni Bartolena and Mario Puccini.
On the second floor you can admire the great paintings by Giovanni Fattori, born in Livorno in 1825, such as the l'Assalto a Madonna della Scoperta, Mandrie Maremmane, La signora Martelli a Castiglioncello e la Torre Rossa. In addition, there are works of other exponents of the Macchiaioli school: Silvestro Lega, Telemaco Signorini, Vincenzo Cabianca and Giovanni Boldini.
Other rooms are dedicated to post-macchiaioli (Eugenio Cecconi and Vittorio Corcos) and the divisionists (Benvenuto Benvenuti and Plinio Nomellini).
Accessibility information: museofattori.livorno.it
