Where is the original Statue of David?
The original Statue of David, sculpted by Michelangelo Buonarroti between 1501 and 1504, stands inside the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze on Via Ricasoli in Florence, Italy. The statue was moved indoors in 1873; its previous outdoor pedestal is in the Piazza della Signoria. The two David figures travelers see outside, in the Piazza della Signoria and at Piazzale Michelangelo, are replicas, not the original work.
Are the David statues in Piazza della Signoria and Piazzale Michelangelo the original?
Neither is the original. The marble David that stands in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in the Piazza della Signoria is a faithful replica installed in 1910, set on the exact spot where Michelangelo's original stood for nearly four centuries. The bronze David at Piazzale Michelangelo, on the hillside above the Arno, is a separate replica unveiled in 1873 atop a monument designed to honour the artist. The original marble work has been indoors at the Galleria dell'Accademia di Firenze since 1873, sheltered from the open-air conditions that caused damage in its previous location.
Why was the David moved to the Galleria dell'Accademia?
Two reasons drove the transfer in 1873. After more than 350 years outdoors in the Piazza della Signoria, the marble surface had suffered from weather and vandalism, and conservators wanted the work indoors. The Galleria was also preparing a dedicated tribune to display the David alongside other Michelangelo sculptures, with the project framed around the upcoming fourth centenary of the artist's birth. The Galleria itself is older than that move. It was founded in 1784 by Pietro Leopoldo, Grand Duke of Tuscany, and although it adjoins the Accademia di Belle Arti, the city's fine arts academy, it operates as a separate institution.
