March 15, 2015
In order to conserve and protect I Tatti’s remarkable and unique art collection, I Tatti has established The Art Conservation Fund in Honor of Lino Pertile and Anna BenstedThe collection is still displayed much as it was a century ago, just as Berenson had wanted, but works need specialist care in order to ensure that they are kept in good condition. Several paintings are now in drastic need of conservation: some have suffered damage to their supports and frames due to woodworm or general wear and tear; others require the consolidation of loose or flaking paint, or delicate surface cleaning to remove heavy layers of dirt, grime, and soot. In many cases, the transparent varnish applied in Berenson’s day has yellowed, completely distorting the original tone and colors of the paint underneath.
The paintings and sculptures add to the stimulating atmosphere so conducive to research at I Tatti, and grace the pages of many scholarly publications. These works also offer a precious window into the development of art criticism and art installation. Renaissance artists, including Giotto, Pietro Lorenzetti, Sassetta, Domenico Veneziano, and Cima da Conegliano, are displayed in juxtaposition with exquisite Chinese or Islamic art. The collection allows members of the I Tatti community to gain from the experience of living with great works of art. It is also enjoyed by the many visitors who come to I Tatti year after year.
We wish to thank our donors who have given generously to the Art Conservation Fund in honor of Lino Pertile and Anna Bensted for the maintenance and preservation of works of art at I Tatti:
Nadja Aksamija, Frances Andrews & Louise Bourdua, Wanessa Asfora, Victor Atkins, Paul & Ruth Barolsky, Karen-edis Barzman, Ingrid Baumgärtner, Francesco Bausi, Katherine Bentz, Treacy & Darcy Beyer, Lucio Biasiori, Debby & James Brice, Deborah Blocker, Francesco Borghesi, Alison Brown, Beverley L. Brown, Renate Burri, Montserrat Cabre, William Caferro, Marta Cacho Casal, Silvia Catitti, Evelien Cheyes, Michael O. & Ruth Clark, Simona Cohen, Robert Colby, Roisin Cossar, Maria De Prano & Marc Beutel, Gerardo de Simone & Cristina Borgioli, Filippo de Vivo, Hester Diamond, Eva Del Soldato, Gregorio Saldarriaga Escobar, Gabriele Fattorini, Nelda & Sandro Ferace, Zeenia Framroze, Juan Luis González Garcia & Sara Fuentes Lázaro, Cyril Gerbron, John & Elizabeth Gilmore, Jessica Goethals & Alessandra Montalbano, Eric Gordon, Margaret Haines, Caitlin Henningsen, Elizabeth Hordowich, Wei Hu, Denva Jackson, Philippa Jackson, Rachel Jacoff, Adam Michal Jasienski, Walter Kaiser, Joost Keizer, Victoria Kirkham, Paschalis Kitromilides & Maria Constantoudaki, Virgilia P. Klein, Daniel Stein Kokin, Jon & Barbara Landau, Anne Conyers Leader, Francesco Lucioli, Timothy McCall, Andrew McCormick, Nicoletta Marcelli, Areli Marina & Robert G. La France, Lia Markey, Marcella Marongiù, Alexa Mason, Brian Jeffrey Maxson, Vanessa de Cruz Medina, Simona Mercuri, Laura Moretti, Peta Motture, Robert D. Mowry, Mariko Muramatsu, Tayra Lanuza-Navarro, Christina Neilson & Sam Jones, Nerida Newbigin, Benedetta Origo, Daniela Parenti, Sanjin Park, Alessandro Polcri & Amelia Moser, Alexandre Ragazzi, Laura Refe, Eugenio Refini, Andrea Rizzi, Janet Robson, Sarah Gwyneth Ross, Neil & Angelica Rudenstine, Guido Ruggiero & Laura Giannetti, Paolo Savoia, Prudence Steiner, Carl B. Strehlke, Nicholas Terpstra, Pier Mattia Tommasino, Koichi Toyama, Paola Ugolini, Mary Vaccaro, Almudena Blasco Vallés, Carl Villis, Bill Wallace & Beth Fagan, Susan & James Weiss, Blake Wilson & Lynn Helding, Michael Wyatt, Francesco Zimei
We are particularly grateful to the following individuals and foundations for their generous donations and grants:
John Treacy & Darcy F. Beyer Foundation, Deborah Loeb Brice Foundation, Rachel Jacoff, Samuel H. Kress Foundation, Frederick S. Koontz, The Robert Lehman Foundation, Inc., Susan M. and Anthony Roberts, Anne and James Rothenberg, Prudence Steiner, and the Dorothy Wagner-Wallis Charitable Trust
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Gifts earmarked for the Art Conservation Fund in Honor of Lino Pertile and Anna Bensted will help us to ensure that I Tatti’s art collection receives the finest care, so that these works will continue to be available for the advancement of studies on art history and the history of collecting, and to be enjoyed by all those who come to I Tatti as a Fellow or visitor. Conservation reports for each work will be published on the I Tatti website as part of the online catalogue of the collection, making this essential information available to scholars and conservators from around the world.
HOW TO DONATE
- For online donations, click on the 'Donate Online' button below. Be sure to select "Other" in the school/affiliate dropdown menu and indicate "Villa I Tatti" and the designation of your gift as "The Art Conservation Fund in Honor of Lino Pertile and Anna Bensted" in the Comments/Other Designation box
We thank you wholeheartedly for your consideration. If you have already donated to this cause, please accept our renewed thanks for your support.
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