December 11th, 2015 – “When I was appointed director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York, I thought it was necessary to bring something that represented the best of my country and also of my hometown, Florence. In 2015 we celebrate the 750th anniversary since Dante’s birth, for which the Uffizi Gallery is showcasing Dante’s portrait by Bronzino. I felt that there was no better way to celebrate this occasion, bringing the painting for the first time in the US”, said the director of the Italian Cultural Institute in New York, Giorgio van Straten as he explained the reasoning that led him to bring the Allegorical Portrait of Dante by Bronzino at the IIC headquarters, where it will be exhibited from 15 December to 15 January. “I’m very proud to have succeeded in this purpose, with the invaluable support of my collaborators and sponsors. This is a unique opportunity to present in New York, a city that loves Italian culture, an example of the richness of our heritage.” The painting is not the only initiative taken by the Institute to celebrate the great poet: on December 16th (6pm to midnight), there will be a Dante Marathon, a continuous reading of the 34 canti from the Inferno. “We want to celebrate Dante – explains a statement presenting the event – not only as the father of Italian language and literature but also as the one author who relentlessly pursued the search for what characterizes the human being, and that could declare that ‘the whole world [was] his country, as the sea is for the fish’ (“Nos autem cui mundus est patria velut piscibus equor”, De vulgari eloquentia). To emphasize Dante’s universality, the canti that narrate his journey through Hell will be read by 34 different readers: writers, teachers and scholars, 17 in Italian and 17 in translation, each in a different language.” For the occasion, the Allegorical Portrait of Dante by Bronzino will remain on display for the duration of the event. (Red)
