‘Exhausted’ life models at Florence art academy threaten nude protest

Life models at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze (Florence Academy of Fine Arts) are threatening legal action and a nude protest in the academy's courtyard over poor working conditions. They describe their work as “exhausting,” involving eight-hour sessions with minimal breaks, and say their renewable annual contracts—offering 500 hours over 11 months—lack insurance, paid leave, sick days, or a digital timecard. The dispute centers on Italy’s ministry of universities and research rules introduced last year, which the academy interprets as excluding models hired more than three years ago under simplified procedures from permanent contracts. Union president Giancarlo Iacomini has met with academy director Gaia Bindi to seek a resolution, while the academy says it will publish a new public recruitment notice that counts previous contracts as qualifications.