Details

EXCLUSIVE WEBINAR | “Connoisseurship, Criticism and Collecting in the Gilded Age: Remembering Bernard Berenson”
Presented by Dr. Mary Ann Calo
with Additional Commentary by Dr. Rocky Ruggiero

Bernard Berenson is known to many in the field of Italian Renaissance art as an American connoisseur, critic, and aesthetic theorist.  Born in Lithuania, Berenson grew up in Boston and entered Harvard in 1884. He departed for Europe following graduation and, after several years of travel, settled in Italy, which became his permanent residence. From 1900 to his death in 1959, Berenson lived on a large estate in Settignano, outside of Florence. At his residence, the Villa I Tatti, with its eclectic art collection, enormous library, and formal gardens, Berenson received the artists, intellectuals, and European dignitaries who composed his vast network of social contacts, as well as the American millionaires who sought his advice in the formation of their personal collections.

Berenson’s early reputation rested on extensive knowledge of the stylistic particulars of Italian Renaissance painting, acquired through years of careful study and maintained through a vast collection of photographic reproductions. [He was a pioneer in using photography to supplement his visual memory.] At his death Berenson gave his estate to Harvard, where it has become a world-renowned research center–Villa I Tatti—Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies. Along with the property and grounds—Berenson left his personal library consisting of over 50,000 books and 300,000 photos.

The webinar will include a 45-minute lecture followed by 15-minutes of Q&A.

Please note:

• Your participation is confirmed once you have purchased your ticket. You will receive the Zoom link to join the presentation circa 30 minutes before the start time.
• VIDEO RECORDING of the webinar will be available for unlimited streaming at your convenience for 7 days after the event.

Lecturer

Mary Ann Calo, Batza Professor, Emerita, joined the Colgate University faculty in 1991 as a member of the Department of Art and History. During her 25 years at Colgate, Prof. Calo taught courses on modern and contemporary art history, the arts and public policy, and American art. She also served as Chair of the Art and Art History Department, Associate Dean of the Faculty, Director of the Institute for the Creative and Performing Arts, and Director of the Division of Arts and Humanities. Calo spent many years living and working in Italy, initially as a student and then later as a professor, serving several times as a visiting professor of modern art at Syracuse University in Florence. Since retirement, Calo has led academic tours focused on modern art for the Smithsonian (France) and for Colgate alumni groups (Italy).