News - December 14, 2007
Horne and his Botticelli. An international conference at Villa Rossa of SUF in 2008
In October 2008, Syracuse University in Florence will co-host an international conference devoted to “Herbert Horne’s Botticelli and Florentine Renaissance Art.” This event celebrates the 100th birthday of Horne’s monumental monograph on Botticelli.
Born in England in 1864, Horne made a visit to Florence that changed his life, and Florence became his home. This “foreigner” went on to transform the study of Italian Renaissance art. In 1908 he published his study of Botticelli, described by John Pope-Hennessy as “the best monograph in English on an Italian painter.”
In the spirit of Horne, and in fulfillment of the SUF mission, the conference represents a collaboration with two highly important cultural institutions in Florence, the Harvard University Center for Italian Renaissance Studies “Villa I Tatti,” and the Fondazione Horne. Events will kick off with a plenary lecture at Villa I Tatti on October 9, 2008.
On October 10, several current and former SUF professors will present papers at the Villa Rossa. These present new discoveries on Botticelli, and explore the some of the cross-cultural implications of Horne’s work. What was the impact of Horne’s English background on Italian art history, and the impact of Italy on Horne? Speakers will include Barbara Deimling, Antonella Francini, Rab Hatfield, Jonathan Nelson, and Louis Waldman. On October 11, the conference moves to the Horne museum for a series of lectures in Italian, followed by a visit to the collection.
SUF School of Architecture takes on new challenge in Corleone, Italy
When does it make sense for a school of architecture in an American university in Florence, Italy to organize class projects to take place in Corleone, Italy?
The answer is, when the mayor of Corleone extends an invitation specifically to that American institution, asking for their input. Antonino Iannazzo, Mayor of Corleone, had the idea of inviting SUF architecture students to work on projects for urban renewal in his town.
Corleone is full of abandoned buildings of all sizes, and Iannazzo is pushing to get public attention focused on his city’s need for urban renewal.
Corleone will be one aspect of exploring the challenge of three different cities in Italy: Arezzo, Corleone, and Riccione. There will be a conclusive workshop at semester’s end, with the mayors of the three cities invited.
Says Francisco Sanin, Coordinator of the SUF School of Architecture, “The students will study a wide range of contemporary conditions in these three Italian cities, each one with its own character and challenges. The School of Architecture will work closely with SUF and the local authorities in each city to produce a trans-disciplinary volume of research that confronts issues from the social, political and urban points of view.”
A three-day celebration of 100 years of academic excellence at SUF
There’s more to the equation 43+36+21=100 than simple mathematics…
The long-awaited three-day Celebration of Excellence: 100 Years of Scholarship in Florence is finally upon us. The SUF campus is gearing up for a community-wide celebration, to be kicked off at 5:30pm on Thursday, December 13 with a reception for graduate alumni students who have returned to Florence for the festivities, marking 43 years of the Florence Graduate Program.
The evening event will continue at 8pm with a book presentation honoring Rab Hatfield, when Italian Art, Society, and Politics: A Festschrift in Honor of Rab Hatfield will be presented to him by his graduate students on the occasion of his 70th birthday—fittingly enough, at the feet of the David in the Galleria dell’Accademia. The Festschrift is the third book to be published in SUF’s Villa Rossa Series, and this special occasion will recognize 36 years of Rab Hatfield’s tenure at SUF.
The third event in the celebration will take place on December 14, at 3:30pm at the Villa Rossa, the academic heart of the Florence campus, when the 2007 FIA graduate students will present their theses at the Symposium Processions and Pageantry in Renaissance Italy, markingthe21st anniversary of the Annual Florence Symposium.
Joining the celebration will be representatives of Syracuse University and SUAbroad, as well as 75 SUF graduate student alumni.
