From 24 October 2025, the Bode-Museum on Berlin’s Museum Island will present a special exhibition dedicated to the dramatic events of the “Pazzi Conspiracy”. Medals, sculptures, reliefs, busts and paintings from the collections of the Staatliche Museen zu Berlin illustrate the interplay of power, violence and art in Renaissance Florence.
Image avobe: Sandro Botticelli, Giuliano de’Medici, 1478 © Staatliche Museen zu Berlin, Gemäldegalerie / Christoph Schmidt
The exhibition retraces the tragic history of the conspiracy, one of the defining moments of the Florentine Quattrocento. On 26 April 1478, Lorenzo and Giuliano de’ Medici were attacked in the choir of Florence Cathedral. Giuliano was killed, while Lorenzo survived and took harsh measures against the conspirators, foremost among them the Pazzi family.
The Staatliche Museen zu Berlin hold numerous objects that document these events. The Münzkabinett presents important medals, supplemented by pieces from the James Simon Medal Collection in the Skulpturensammlung.
In addition, reliefs, busts and portraits will be on view depicting key figures of the time – including Giuliano de’ Medici, whose likeness was painted by Sandro Botticelli after his death, showing him with a lowered gaze.
The exhibition highlights how political and religious conflicts in Renaissance Italy not only led to violent power struggles but also inspired outstanding artistic achievements.
The “Pazzi Conspiracy” exemplifies the close connection between violence and art in an epoch that decisively shaped Europe’s cultural heritage.
WHEN?
Exhibition dates: 24. October 2025 – 20 September 2026
Press Tour: Thursday, 23 October 2025, 11 am
Opening: Thursday, 23 October 2025, 6 pm
Opening Hours: Tuesday – Friday 10 am – 5 pm, Saturday + Sunday 10 am – 6 pm
WHERE?
Bode-Museum, Museum Island Berlin
Am Kupfergraben, 10178 Berlin
