Italy’s Uffizi gallery embraces comic book artists in bid to widen appeal

A view of the city looking across to The Duomo , Cathedral of Santa Maria dei Fiore, and Ponte Vecchio Bridge in Florence, Italy (John Walton/PA)

Italy’s Uffizi, the Florence museum that houses some of the Western world’s most famous art, is expanding its collection of self-portraits with works by comic book artists in an effort to broaden its audience, museum director Eike Schmidt said.

Self-portraits by 52 of Italy’s most well-known comic book artists, commissioned as part of an initiative by the Uffizi, Italy’s culture minister and Lucca Comics & Games, form the kernel of the new collection.