The Course of Empires: American-Italian Cultural Relations, 1770–1980
Thursday and Friday, October 19–20, 2017
Smithsonian American Art Museum
This two-day symposium will examine the persistent fascination of American and Italian artists with the cultural achievements of ancient Rome and the Renaissance. Scholars seek to update and broaden our understanding of American-Italian cultural relations from the Revolutionary Era through the Cold War by encompassing diverse international voices and approaches.
Free online registration will open in September. The conference will be available through a simultaneous webcast; an archived version will remain online indefinitely. For continuously updated information, visit s.si.edu/empires. For all other inquiries, e-mail SAAMSymposium@si.edu. To request accessibility services for the event, please contact museum staff two weeks in advance of the program.
Conference Program
Thursday, October 19, 2017
Embassy of Italy, 3000 Whitehaven Street NW
6:00 p.m., Introduction
Renato Miracco, Cultural Attaché, Embassy of Italy
6:30 p.m., Keynote Address
Ester Coen, Professor of Art History, Università degli Studi dell’Aquila, “American-Italian Artistic Exchange after World War II”
7:30 p.m., Reception
Friday, October 20, 2017
Smithsonian American Art Museum, McEvoy Auditorium, 8th & G Streets NW
9:30 a.m., Welcome
Stephanie Stebich, The Margaret and Terry Stent Director, Smithsonian American Art Museum
9:45 a.m., Introduction
Melissa Dabakis,* Professor and Chair of Art History, Kenyon College
10:00 a.m.
Elizabeth Mankin Kornhauser, Alice Pratt Brown Curator of American Paintings and Sculpture, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, “Thomas Cole’s Travels from Rome to Catskill: Republican Ideals”
10:30 a.m.
Caitlin Beach, PhD Candidate, Columbia University, and Wyeth Fellow, Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, National Gallery of Art, “Francesco Pezzicar’s L’Abolizione della schiavitù in America across Empires”
11:00 a.m.
Jane Dini, Independent Scholar, “Sargent’s and Duveneck’s Working-Class Venetian Muses”
11:30 a.m.
Daniele Fiorentino,* Professor of U.S. History and Political Science, Università degli Studi Roma Tre, “A Transatlantic Cultural Landscape: America in Rome at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century”
12:00 p.m., Question and Answer Session
Moderator: Paul Kaplan,* Professor of Art History, Purchase College, SUNY
12:30 p.m., Lunch Break
2:00 p.m., Introduction
Amelia Goerlitz,* Fellowship and Academic Programs Manager, Smithsonian American Art Museum
Karen Lemmey,* Curator of Sculpture, Smithsonian American Art Museum
2:30 p.m.
Sergio Cortesini,* Assistant Professor of Art History, Università di Pisa, “The Myth of the Italian Renaissance in New Deal Murals”
3:00 p.m.
Peter Benson Miller, Andrew Heiskell Arts Director, American Academy in Rome, “Painting in the Contact Zone: American Artists in Postwar Rome”
3:30 p.m.
Marin R. Sullivan, Assistant Professor of Art History, Keene State College, and George Gurney Postdoctoral Fellow, Smithsonian American Art Museum, “Sculpture in the (Ancient) City: Calder, Smith, and Smithson in Italy”
4:00 p.m., Coffee Break
4:30 p.m.
Raffaele Bedarida, Assistant Professor of Art History, Cooper Union, “‘Eterna Primavera’: When Hollywood Fell in Love with Modern Italian Art, 1954–1960”
5:00 p.m.
Erika Doss, Professor of American Studies, University of Notre Dame, “Death, Decay and Ruination: Paul Thek’s Technological Reliquaries and the Muses of Italy”
5:30 p.m., Question and Answer Session
Moderator: Paul Kaplan,* Professor of Art History, Purchase College, SUNY
* denotes conference organizers
This conference is made possible by the Terra Foundation for American Art, which is dedicated to fostering exploration, understanding, and enjoyment of the visual arts of the United States for national and international audiences. We are pleased to present this program in collaboration with the Embassy of Italy in DC and the Italian Cultural Institute.
Additional support is provided by: Purchase College, SUNY / Kenyon College / Università degli Studi Roma Tre / Università di Pisa / American Academy in Rome
