Awards In Italian Culture 2017

American Award to Ian Wardropper

Ian Wardropper has served as the Director of The Frick Collection since the fall of 2011. After completing his Ph.D. at the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, he was curator and later head of the department of European Decorative Arts, and Sculpture, and Ancient Art at The Art Institute of Chicago for nineteen years, until returning to New York in 2001 as Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Chairman of the Department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts at The Metropolitan Museum of Art. He has organized over twenty exhibitions in his specialties of European sculpture, earlier decorative arts, and twentieth-century design and decorative arts. He has taught art history at six universities and published numerous books, catalogues, and articles. His most recent publications include European Sculpture, 1400-1900, in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Bernini: Sculpting in Clay, Limoges Enamels at The Frick Collection, and Director’s Choice: The Frick Collection.


Italian Award to Paola Marini

Paola Marini graduated in in Modern Literature with a thesis on Architectural History at the University of Bologna, where she specialized in 1987 in History of Medieval and Modern Art. From 1976 to 1980 taught Architectural history in the same University.

From 1976 to 1982 she worked at the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura “Andrea Palladio” in Vicenza. From 1987 to 1991 has been in charge for editorial of scientific publications of the Center. Conservator from 1982 of the Civico Museo-Biblioteca-Archivio of Bassano del Grappa, directed the Institute from 1988 to 1993, organizing important exhibitions, including that on Jacopo Bassano 1510-1592 in 1992, in collaboration with the Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas. From 1993 has been Keeper of Medieval and Modern Art Collections of the Civic Museums and Art Galleries in Verona and from 1997 to 2015 the Director of the complex of art museums and monuments of the city of Verona.

In Verona she achieved, as well as hundreds of restoration, more than thirty between exhibitions and conferences, research and editorials projects, with important national and international collaborations: Disegni veronesi (1994), Pisanello (1996) and Corot e l’arte moderna (2009-2010) with the Musée du Louvre; Miniature indiane della collezione Hodgkin (1997), Alessandro Turchi detto l’Orbetto (1999), Carlo Scarpa (2000), Mantegna e le Arti a Verona 1450-1500 (2006-2007), Il Settecento a Verona Tiepolo Cignaroli Rotari la nobiltà della pittura (2011-2012) and Paolo Veronese, la realtà dell’illusione (2014) in collaboration with the National Gallery in London. In 2015 she completed the enlargement of the Museo degli Affreschi G.B. Cavalcaselle and the restoration of the Archaeological Museum at the Roman Theatre in Verona.

From 30 November 2015 she is the Director of the Gallerie dell'Accademia in Venice, where she opened seven new rooms and organized exhibitions dedicated to Aldo Manuzio, Michele Giambono and the Bicentennial of the Museum, still open to the public.

She is a member of the Scientific Council of the Centro Internazionale di Studi di Architettura “Andrea Palladio”, of the Italian National Committee of CIHA (Comité International d'historie de l'art), of the National Edition of the writings of Antonio Canova, of the Board of ANMLI (National Association of local government Museums and institutional), of the Committee on Museums the Veneto region, of the Joint Committee for the knowledge and appreciation of the work of Carlo Scarpa, of the Accademia di Agricoltura Scienze e Lettere in Verona, of the Council of Verona branch of the Bank of Italy, of the Governing Board of the Centre of Non-invasive analysis laboratory (LANIAC) at the University of Verona, of the Ateneo Veneto. He has been Secretary-Treasurer of the National Committee for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the death of Andrea Mantegna (1506-2006) and a member of the Board of ICOM Italy (2010-2013). She is “Commendatore della Repubblica Italiana”. On 10 February 2017 she has been awarded with an Honorary Degree in Arts by the University of Verona. Her studies concern the field of History of Painting and Architecture from 16th to 18th century, as well as Contemporary Art and Museography.

Previous FIAC Awards

2016
Ian Wardropper
Paola Marini

2015
Mariella Utili
Eric M. Lee

2014
Thomas P. Campbell

2013
Dr. Colin B. Bailey
Dr. Daniela Porro

2012
Brian J. Ferriso
Antonia Pasqua Recchia

2011
Glenn Lowry
Rossella Vodret

2010
Malcolm Rogers
Roberto Cecchi

2008
Anne Poulet
Nicola Spinosa

2007
Phillip de Montebello
Cristina Acidini

2006
David Alan Brown
Salvatore Settis

2005
Keith Christiansen
Antonio Paolucci