A dialogue between antique and contemporary on the occasion of the exhibition Fra Angelico at Palazzo Strozzi and the Museum of San Marco

Firenze, September 11 2025 - From 26 September 2025, Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella will present in its historic Florentine spaces Annunciation II, After Fra Angelico (2017), a monumental work by the renowned British artist David Hockney: a direct dialogue between one of the most important masters of contemporary art and Fra Angelico, the central figure of the major exhibition taking place simultaneously at Palazzo Strozzi and the Museum of San Marco.

David Hockney (Bradford, UK, 1937) is regarded as one of the greatest living artists, a leading figure on the international scene from the 1960s to the present day. Painter, draftsman, and tireless experimenter, he has renewed the figurative language with works ranging from Pop Art to his most recent digital explorations.

The choice of venue highlights a profound historical connection: when the Dominican friar Fra Angelico painted his Annunciation at San Marco, the Dominican community of Santa Maria Novella had already been active for centuries. The exhibition context thus connects past and present, tradition and innovation, underscoring the mission of Officina Profumo-Farmaceutica di Santa Maria Novella to enhance Florentine heritage as a living and relevant legacy.