In accordance with the Bowers Museum's current exhibit, “Gems of the Medici,” a sparkling display of jewels from one of Italy's wealthiest and most powerful families, the museum hosts a series of short films dedicated to the history of this prestigious and infamous lineage. Empires—The Medici: Godfathers of the Renaissance is a fantastically shot docudrama detailing the rise of the Medici family and their influence on the birth of the Italian Renaissance. This week's screening is Episode Three: The Medici Popes. Learn of Cardinal Giovanni de' Medici who becomes the extravagantly spending Pope Leo X (later denounced by monk Martin Luther), followed by his cousin Giulio as Pope Clement VII (who commissions Michelangelo to build his family tombs). For three centuries, the Medici family ruled Europe—but you know what they say about absolute power…
Wed., July 31, 1:30 p.m., 2013
