David Doubilet's first Italian exhibition at Villa Bardini

Without photography, the universe hidden in the ocean depths would remain unknown to many of us.
"The ocean surface is a gateway to the other 71% of our planet."

The boundless beauty of life in the ocean depths and the fragility of underwater ecosystems come to life in Oceans, the exhibition that brings National Geographic to Florence for the first time, featuring the work of world-renowned underwater photographer David Doubilet.
From October 21, 2025, to April 12, 2026, Villa Bardini hosts the first solo exhibition in Italy celebrating the work of photographer David Doubilet, a pioneer and world-renowned figure in underwater photography.

Let's discover together who David Doubilet is
Born in New York, David Doubilet is a world-famous underwater photographer inspired by the legendary Jacques-Yves Cousteau. For over half a century, he has explored the seas across the globe, documenting their extraordinary beauty, reaching some of the most pristine places on Earth, and creating images that have made him one of the most celebrated nature photographers in the world.
Author of 74 stories for National Geographic, for which he began working in 1971, and of 12 books, he has won numerous prestigious photography awards. He is also the inventor of the over/under technique, which allows photographers to capture simultaneously what happens beneath and above the water’s surface. Now 79 years old, he continues to travel the world’s oceans.
A pioneer of underwater photography, he published his first photograph in National Geographic in 1972. Since then, he has dedicated his life to immortalizing the world's oceans, deeply convinced that our life on Earth depends on their balance and the preservation of their ecosystems, thus allowing everyone to admire the wonders of the oceans.
His passion was born at the tender age of 10, inspired by a photo published in National Geographic depicting Luis Marden and Captain Jacques-Yves Cousteau on the deck of the ship Calypso. Luis Marden, a National Geographic underwater photographer, became his idol, and Doubilet decided he wanted to be like him.

The Exhibition
On display more than 80 photographs portray marine ecosystems, now under severe pressure due to climate change and human activity. Eleven exhibition rooms showcase his most iconic images taken in seas around the world — from the Caribbean to the Philippines, from Indonesia to Australia, and as far as Antarctica.
Among Doubilet’s most striking photographs on display are: an aerial view of one of the most spectacular stretches of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, overflown by a small DeHavilland Beaver aircraft carrying divers; an image of a young green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas) swimming toward the open ocean through the crystal-clear waters of Nengo Nengo Lagoon, a small atoll in the Tuamotu Archipelago, French Polynesia; the clownish grin of a rainbow parrotfish (Scarus frenatus) off the coast of Queensland, Australia; corals forming a masterpiece of abstract art in the Tubbataha Reef National Park.
Doubilet, through shots that focus on detail or that seek to capture the vastness and complexity of this ecosystem, aims to teach his audience to understand and love the world that lives beneath the water's surface, so that they can begin to care for and respect it.

Visit with Firenzecard!