Awards In Italian Culture 2008
American Award to Anne Poulet
Anne Litle Poulet joined The Frick Collection as Director in October 2003. Ms. Poulet has had 30 years of experience in the art world. For two decades she ran the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston’s department of European Decorative Arts and Sculpture, of which she is currently Curator Emerita. While at the MFA, Ms. Poulet was responsible for a number of important acquisitions for the collection and was instrumental in bringing to the museum the Firestone Collection of French silver; the Frits and Rita Markus Collection of European ceramics and enamels; the William A. Coolidge Collection of European paintings, sculpture, and decorative arts; and the Edward Pflueger Collection of European ceramics. In addition, eight catalogues of the permanent collection were published under her direction.
Ms. Poulet was co-author of the important catalogue Clodion (1738–1814), published in conjunction with the exhibition held at the Louvre in 1992. More recently, Ms. Poulet has received great recognition and praise as a curator and author of the exhibition catalogue Jean-Antoine Houdon (1741–1828): Sculptor of the Enlightenment, which opened in May 2003 at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. This show traveled to the J. Paul Getty Museum in November 2003 and to the Musée de Versailles in March 2004.
Ms. Poulet received her Bachelor of Arts, cum laude, from Sweet Briar College in 1964, and a Masters degree from the Institute of Fine Arts, New York University, in 1970. She was the recipient of a Ford Foundation Grant in Museum Training, was a Kress Fellow at the National Gallery of Art, and received a certificate of graduation from the Museum Management Institute, Berkeley, California, in 1993. In 2000, she received the Iris Foundation Award for Outstanding Contributions to the Decorative Arts. Ms. Poulet is co-founder and former vice chairman of the board of the American foundation, The French Heritage Society. . She was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2006 and was decorated as a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in 2007.
Italian Award to Nicola Spinosa
Prof. Nicola Spinosa has been spent his entire career at the Polo Museale Napolitano launching his career as an art inspector in 1969 and ultimately the Superindent of its administrative and cultural offices from 1984 to present. Under his leadership, Castel’ Sant’ Elmo a 16th century castle was reopened to the public and has served as place for cultural initiatives such as art exhibitions, modern and classical concerts, theatrical performances and film screenings.
Prof. Spinosa has worked tirelessly to revamp the image of the museums of Naples and the negative image of Naples created by the media through the following contributions, 18th Century Civilization shown in Chicago and Detroit, Painting in Naples from Caravaggio to Luca Giordano show at the Royal Academy in London and the Grand Palais in Paris, Jusepe de Ribera shown at Castel Sant’ Elmo, later at the Museum del Prado in Madrid and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Luca Giordano, presented in Naples, Vienna and Los Angeles, The Age of Caravaggio at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
He has published various books some of which have included Neapolitan Painting at the time of Carlo and Fernando Borbon (1972), Infinite Space and Baroque Decoration (1981), From Baroque to Racoco’ (1987), Ribero: Complete Works (2003)
Prof. Spinosa received his degree in 1965 in letters and philosophy and taught art history upon graduation until 1969 when he began his career at the Polo Museale Napilitano. In 2000 he was the recipient of the Legion d’honeur de la Republique Francoise. He will retire as superintendent of the Polo Museale Napilitano in the fall of 2009.
Previous FIAC Awards
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