When Florence Meets Pop
“KAWS… who exactly is that?” my friend Louise asked, as we strolled through the cobbled streets of Florence. She’s visiting for the Toulouse-Lautrec exhibition, and like most first-time visitors, she’s enchanted by how effortlessly the city balances grandeur and everyday life.
We had no coffee cups in hand — because in Florence, coffee belongs in cafés, not on the go. Instead, we were on our way to Palazzo Strozzi, where something unexpected was happening: the Renaissance was about to meet pop art.
A New Language for an Old City
From October 29, 2025, to January 25, 2026, the historic courtyard of Palazzo Strozzi turns into a stage for contemporary art, thanks to KAWS — one of the most celebrated and influential artists of our time. The installation invites visitors to rethink how art can transcend centuries, renewing itself while preserving a distinct and recognizable voice.
Florence has always known how to evolve. But this time, the dialogue is strikingly visual: a giant, cartoon-like figure resting beneath Renaissance arches — a conversation between tradition and rebellion, silence and spectacle.
Who Is KAWS?
Born in 1974 in Jersey City, New Jersey, and now based in Brooklyn, KAWS (Brian Donnelly) has built an extraordinary career that spans painting, sculpture, street art, and design.
His instantly recognizable characters — inspired by animation, consumer culture, and visual irony — blur the line between high art and popular media.
His works have been exhibited at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2025), the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh (2024), Art Gallery of Ontario (2023), Serpentine Gallery in London (2022), Mori Arts Center Tokyo (2021), and the Brooklyn Museum (2021).
KAWS’s world is ironic, playful, and subtly subversive. Through hybrid characters and shared symbols, he explores universal emotions — friendship, loss, nostalgia — wrapped in the visual language of a generation raised on cartoons and screens.
When Art Divides (and Unites)
As expected, KAWS’s arrival in Florence sparked debate within hours. The monumental pop sculpture in the Palazzo Strozzi courtyard went viral, collecting over 17,000 likes on Instagram within the first day.
Some call it brilliant, others claim it’s too “American.”But that’s precisely the point — KAWS doesn’t seek harmony, he creates friction. In a city defined by marble saints and painted angels, his bold, soft-edged figures bring something new: a reflection of what humanity looks like today.
Pop Meets Renaissance
The installation reimagines the Annunciation, one of the most iconic motifs in Florentine art. Under KAWS’s hand, it becomes something else entirely — not sacred, but deeply human. His characters, with their crossed-out eyes and cartoon gestures, seem fragile, questioning, alive.
This meeting between pop and Renaissance doesn’t destroy balance; it redefines it. KAWS reminds us that emotions, curiosity, and wonder don’t belong to any specific century — they’re timeless.
Why You Should Go
If you’re visiting Florence this autumn or winter, make time for Palazzo Strozzi. Not just to see a sculpture, but to witness a conversation — between eras, between cultures, between what art was and what it can still become.
KAWS proves that even in a city steeped in history, there’s always room for surprise. And perhaps that’s the most Florentine thing of all.