Black-and-white photographs of magnificent actresses and opera divas, with whom the great director Franco Zeffirelli worked throughout his career, from 1958 to 2009, are collected in an exhibition at the Florentine Hotel Savoy. Organized jointly with the Franco Zeffirelli Foundation, it will last until April 18, 2022. Maria Callas, Fanny Ardan, Cher, Olivia Hussey, Brooke Shields, Valentina Cortese, Faye Dunaway, Carla Fracci, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Anna Bancroft, Anna Magnani look out from the lobby, the Salotto Lounge, the Irene Restaurant and the Duomo Presidential Suite. , Claudia Cardinale, Elizabeth Taylor, Glenn Close, Joan Plowright, Marisa Allacio, Monica Bellucci, Katia Ricciarelli, Mariangela Melato, Monica Vitti and Stefania Sandrelli.
Particular attention is paid to the main muse Zeffirelli Maria Callas. The opera singer was photographed with the director, as well as on the set of the films La Traviata (1958) and Tosca (1964). And the ideological inspirer of the exhibition was the famous French actress Fanny Ardant, who played the legendary diva in the master’s latest feature film Callas Forever (2002).
“We have put together a wonderful selection of strong heroines who embody the temperament that the maestro has always sought for his characters,” says Pippo Corsi Zeffirelli, president of the foundation. “We are delighted with this hotel initiative. It is symbolic that the exhibition is taking place in Piazza della Repubblica, the square where my father was born and raised.”
Continue exploring the great director’s work at the Piazza San Firenze International Center for the Performing Arts, a 17th-century palazzo displaying more than 250 works by Franco Zeffirelli, including stage designs, drawings and costumes, all the artistic and cultural legacy of his 70-year career.
Photo: press service
