AFC Newsletter Spring 2023
/Dear American Friends of Capodimonte:
Thank you to recent donors: Mary Blaney and Paul Humenansky, Tory Gath and Mark Eichlin, Helena and William Foulkes, Colleen Harvey, Juliette Lloyd and Charles Coltman, Ann Pizzorusso, Francis Prins and Ed Villani.
Upcoming AFC Talk
The AFC Talks series continues this month with AFC Fellow Dr. Caroline Paganussi presenting on March 26 @ 3p.m. Please RSVP to americanfriendsofcapodimonte@gmail.com.
The title of Dr. Paganussi’s talk is: Representing the Youthful Bishop: Juan de Borgoña’s Stubbly Saint Augustine
In a small panel of Saint Augustine in the Capodimonte Museum (c. 1510), painted by the Burgundian or Provençal-born Spanish artist, Juan de Borgoña (d. c. 1538), the eminent Church Father is missing his characteristic flowing beard, a curious omission given that Augustine wrote about facial hair as a signifier of courage and maturity (Psalm 133). Instead, the saint bears an unmistakable five o’clock shadow, one which appears in Juan de Borgoña’s treatment of the saint in other panels. In this talk, how this stubbly Saint Augustine appears in other works by the artist will be explored— including another altarpiece in Capodimonte’s collections —and how local audiences might have interpreted his unusual appearance.
Watch Caroline give a fantastic overview for the AFC Fellowship in a newly produced video for the AFC
The AFC Postdoctoral Curatorial Fellow (2022-2023) is supported by a grant from the Samuel H. Kress Foundation Interpretive Fellowship program and by Michael and Nancy Vespoli.
In other AFC News
Caroline presented in early March at the Renaissance Society of America’s Annual Meeting, considered the largest and most prestigious conference dedicated to early modern studies in the world. Dr. Paganussi co-organized “Artistic Ways of Knowing: Papers in Honor of Meredith J. Gill.” The panel is chaired by Anthony Colantuono, Professor of Art History at the University of Maryland.
New exhibition at Capodimonte: La Madonna del pesce di Raffaello torna a Napoli dopo quattrocento anni'
Opens March 13 and runs until June 25. AFC members are offered tours by reservation.
If you are not already a member, please join us!
Warmly,
The AFC Board
Executive members: Cristina Del Sesto, Sylvain Bellenger, Nancy Vespoli, Vincent Buonanno, James Anno, Gretchen Hirschauer
Members: Tory Gath, Henrietta Hakes, Bart Livolsi, Benjamin Patton, Francis Prins