50,110 times: thank you!

In spite of the fact that admission is restricted to ensure the safety of the works and maximum enjoyment by visitors who can admire the polyptych panels full of extraordinary details at close quarters, the museum closed its three-month exhibition with an average of 600 visitors per day.

The reuniting of the eight panels of the polyptych, five centuries after their creation, was a unique and unrepeatable opportunity, especially for research purposes, because it triggered a series of in-depth studies that, thanks to diagnostic investigations, provided answers to questions and solved the mysteries that had shrouded this fascinating and grandiose altarpiece for centuries. In fact, it was possible to investigate some important aspects of the polyptych’s history, Piero della Francesca’s painting technique, the materials used, the woodwork and the scene that occupied the central panel, unfortunately never found and probably lost.

“We are very satisfied and proud of the excellent results of the exhibition both in terms of scientific research and the extraordinary number of visitors,” says architect Alessandra Quarto, Director of the Museum. “This ‘reunion’ is a milestone in the updating of studies on Piero della Francesca; never before have so many specific, non-invasive investigations been carried out in collaboration with the lending museums.

The strong point of the exhibition, with the Bracco Foundation as main partner, was certainly scientific research.
The reuniting of the eight panels of the polyptych, five centuries after their creation, was a unique and unrepeatable opportunity, especially for research purposes, because it triggered off a series of in-depth studies that, thanks to diagnostic investigations, provided answers to questions and solved the mysteries that had shrouded this fascinating and grandiose altarpiece for centuries. In fact, it was possible to investigate some important aspects of the polyptych’s history, Piero della Francesca’s painting technique, the materials used, the woodwork and the scene that occupied the central panel, unfortunately never found and probably lost.

“We are very happy to have contributed to the success of one of the most visited exhibitions of the Milanese cultural season and of the entire history of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, of which we have been proud Corporate Partner for over ten years,” says Diana Bracco, President of the Bracco Foundation. “One of the characteristics of our commitment to cultural projects is the combination of art and science: as in the case of other major exhibitions, for this unrepeatable exhibition of international standing we wanted to create a scientific project based on high-resolution diagnostic imaging techniques, in which Bracco is a world leader.”