Opera magazine

A sad February for Florence as two important figures of the preservation and management of Art passed away. Enrico Marinelli: a Renaissance Maecenas in the XXI Century Enrico Marinelli, founder and president of the Guild of the Dome nonprofit corporation, passed away in Taiwan on February 23rd. Marinelli had the vision of a new way to share and promote the importance of the cultural heritage of Florence and of the Florence Cathedral: in a global way, “seeking Members from all faiths and continents: women and men able to think beyond the present, drawing lessons from the past that can serve our common future.” Guild of the Dome actively supports Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore: the Guild funded the restoration of the North Door of the Baptistery, one of Ghiberti’s masterpiece, and the design and making of the North Door as well, unveiled just few weeks before Marinelli’s demise. Carmine Pepe: the man who let the Renaissance fly Carmine Pepe, one of the most important experts in the field of Art handling, passed away in Florence on February 18th. Pepe’s most famous endeavours are probably the “trips” of two Etruscan statues - The Orator and The Chimaera - from the National Archaeological Museum of Florence to Montreal; but also the Botticelli’s Annunciation from the Uffizi to Paris; The Leonardo’s Annunciation from the Uffizi to Tokyo. Carmine Pepe worked on some of the Opera di Santa Maria del Fiore’s masterpieces as well: he was directly involved in the disassembly and transport of the Porta del Paradiso from the Baptistery to the Opificio delle Pietre Dure, for the restoration of the Ghiberti’s masterpiece. His last titanic effort has been the management of the relocation of tens of artworks in the new Museo dell’Opera del Duomo. Both Marinelli and Pepe represent for sure the spirit of the Renaissance, still well alive in Florence, for everyone involved in the restoration and protection of the artistic heritage.

Opera magazine

Renaissance machines

Two very sad losses for the Florentine culture