The boundless beauty of life in the ocean depths and the fragility of underwater ecosystems are showcased in the exhibition ''Oceans,'' which brings National Geographic to Florence for the first time. From October 21, 2025, to April 12, 2026, at Villa Bardini, the first solo exhibition in Italy celebrating the work of photographer David Doubilet, a pioneer of underwater exploration and a leading global figure in underwater photography, opens. The exhibition is promoted by Fondazione CR Firenze and the Gallerie d'Italia di Intesa Sanpaolo, in collaboration with National Geographic.
The oceans cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface, and according to the most widely accepted theories, life on Earth originated on the seabed more than three billion years ago. Photosynthesis by microscopic organisms that inhabited the primordial oceans later produced the oxygen that allowed living beings to conquer dry land. Many millions of years later, humans arrived. Archaeological finds show that humans built the first boats at least 10,000 years ago. Millennia later, with the age of navigation, we began to sail the oceans far and wide, but it was only in the mid-twentieth century that we began to explore what lay beneath their surface.
David Doubilet, a New York native and world-renowned underwater photographer inspired by the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau, has traveled the world's seas for over half a century, documenting their extraordinary beauty, reaching the most pristine places, and capturing images that have allowed him to become one of the most respected professionals in nature photography. Author of 74 features for National Geographic, where he began working in 1971, and 12 books, winner of numerous prestigious photography awards, he is also the inventor of the over/under technique, which allows him to simultaneously capture what happens underwater and above the surface. Today, he is 79 years old and continues to sail the seas.
The exhibition features over 80 images that tell the story of marine ecosystems, today subjected to severe pressure due to climate change and human activity. Together with his wife Jennifer Hayes, a marine biologist and underwater photographer herself, David Doubilet has become an ambassador for the oceans and the importance of their health for our well-being. Eleven rooms display iconic images taken in seas around the world, from the Caribbean to the Philippines, from Indonesia to Australia, and even Antarctica. The images on display teach us to understand and love the world beneath the water's surface and inspire us to care for the planet we inhabit.
The exhibition catalog is published by Società Editrice Allemandi.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Municipality of Florence.
The oceans cover nearly three-quarters of the Earth's surface, and according to the most widely accepted theories, life on Earth originated on the seabed more than three billion years ago. Photosynthesis by microscopic organisms that inhabited the primordial oceans later produced the oxygen that allowed living beings to conquer dry land. Many millions of years later, humans arrived. Archaeological finds show that humans built the first boats at least 10,000 years ago. Millennia later, with the age of navigation, we began to sail the oceans far and wide, but it was only in the mid-twentieth century that we began to explore what lay beneath their surface.
David Doubilet, a New York native and world-renowned underwater photographer inspired by the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau, has traveled the world's seas for over half a century, documenting their extraordinary beauty, reaching the most pristine places, and capturing images that have allowed him to become one of the most respected professionals in nature photography. Author of 74 features for National Geographic, where he began working in 1971, and 12 books, winner of numerous prestigious photography awards, he is also the inventor of the over/under technique, which allows him to simultaneously capture what happens underwater and above the surface. Today, he is 79 years old and continues to sail the seas.
The exhibition features over 80 images that tell the story of marine ecosystems, today subjected to severe pressure due to climate change and human activity. Together with his wife Jennifer Hayes, a marine biologist and underwater photographer herself, David Doubilet has become an ambassador for the oceans and the importance of their health for our well-being. Eleven rooms display iconic images taken in seas around the world, from the Caribbean to the Philippines, from Indonesia to Australia, and even Antarctica. The images on display teach us to understand and love the world beneath the water's surface and inspire us to care for the planet we inhabit.
The exhibition catalog is published by Società Editrice Allemandi.
The exhibition is sponsored by the Municipality of Florence.