Bracco Is Culture

Bracco is Culture

Fifty acts of corporate patronage BRACCO IS CULTURE Bracco is Culture

Fifty acts of corporate patronage

CDI – Italian Diagnostics Center Milan, 6 December 2017 – 30 April 2018 Exhibition and catalogue by Businesses today are less and less the insulated, mere places D’Andrea, a Friulian artist and master of Symbolism, active Bracco Foundation of production they once were. These days companies are also in Milan in the period between the two World Wars. Image & Communication Direction Bracco Group actively engaged in society. Italian family-run businesses This is surely the spark of a passion which arose from a simple especially, large and small, are strongly connected to the and humane deed; something that then flourished in the Graphic Design territories where they set down their roots, and care about successive generations of the Bracco family, a dynasty of Dario Zannier being agents of the protection and promotion of our cultural entrepreneurs devoted to beauty and social responsibility, Copyright 2017 – Bracco Foundation and artistic patrimony. My family has made a creed out of presently coming into its fourth generation with Fulvio Renoldi supporting culture. We have always felt a strong need to give Bracco. back to the communities in which we operate, a part of what After Elio, this love of culture was first passed down to his we have received as a company. son, Fulvio Bracco, who in 1934 began his career in the Diana Bracco company and transformed it, year after year, into a company with a strong relationship with its national territory, writing an important page in the history of Italian industrial development. This book recounts not so much the story of a family, nor that An enlightened businessman, a music enthusiast, a La Scala of a global business leader in the technologically advanced devotee, and a creator of scholarships for young, deserving sector of imaging diagnostics, but rather the value of a candidates, Fulvio Bracco involved his wife Anita and their patronage that could be defined as Ambrosian in the most daughters Diana, Adriana and Gemma in this passion for universal sense of the term. Expressing and encouraging philanthropy which would stay with him all his life; so much talent to grow through areas such as Music, Painting, so that Gemma Bracco Baratta is today a poet with various Architecture, Archeology, Theater, Dance, Literature and noteworthy publications to her name. And Diana Bracco, the others means acting as the bearers of a constructive message current President and CEO of the Group, has turned these in all respects. principles into a life’s purpose and a concrete philanthropic Elio Bracco, founder in 1927 of the still family-owned practice. company, belongs to these ranks, and over the course of his In order to pass on these values to new generations, in life had always dedicated his attention to culture and social 2010 she created the Bracco Foundation, an organization commitment. Among his numerous vicissitudes – as irredentist that has realized a great number of international projects in patriot initially caught up in the Austro-Hungarian repression three macro areas – Art, Social, Science – with a particular during the First World War, or his subsequent exile from Istria focus on young talents and women. In her fifty years at the - emerges an episode that warrants telling because it is truly company, being celebrated at the same time as the Group’s emblematic. In 1942, despite the trying times, Elio Bracco, an 90th anniversary, Diana Bracco has time and again proven her art enthusiast, decided to save the entire works of Angiolo sensibility and the fact that “Bracco is culture.” Moreno Gentili Contents

8 The Quirinal Palace: restoration 34 When Italian music inspires the world 58 Constantine, Helena and religious tolerance 84 Excellence on display: the La Scala Theater of the Pope Alexander VII Chigi Gallery Academy’s young talents 36 Water in Mike Goldwater’s shots 60 Chailly and Muti for science 10 Lorin Maazel at the Italian Embassy 86 The Exedra of Palazzo Arese Borromeo in the United States 38 The rediscovery of Janello Torriani 62 The Etruscans and the hereafter in Cesano Maderno with masterpieces and virtual reality 12 Giuseppe Garibaldi’s letters 40 Leonardo da Vinci and the 88 “The rule of talent”. to the workers of Milan “Codex on the Flight of Birds” 64 “Search Me”: a film to promote the culture An exhibit on Italian know‑how of scientific research among young people 14 Riccardo Muti’s return to the La Scala Theater 42 “Bellini, Giorgione, Titian and the Renaissance 90 “Cinderella” and the magic of the ballet of Venetian painting” 66 “Musical Evenings” 16 The 150th anniversary 92 “Logbook”: Torviscosa’s rebirth of the Museum of Natural History 44 Two concerts for the Year of Italian Culture 68 “Folli50.0”: a wellspring of creativity in the United States in the heart of Lambrate 94 Remembering a great factory-town 18 The Pollaiolo Ladies at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum 46 From the Brera Art Gallery to the Metropolitan 70 A “Vortex” against ocean pollution 96 From Scopinich to Sandri, 20 “Living Fountains”, from North to South Museum: The consecration of Fra Carnevale at the side of contemporary art 72 “Entre Siempre y Jamás” at the Venice Biennale 22 Giorgio Strehler: “A man for Milan, 48 Outstanding music in Vienna 98 Angiolo D’Andrea: a master between Symbolism a theater for Europe” 74 The restoration of the Guastalla Gardens and the 20th Century 50 “Lions and bulls from ancient Persia to Aquileia” 24 Lovers, victims and fallen women 76 Heal the body, nourish the mind 100 Puccini’s Prima Donnas 52 In São Paulo, between music 26 “Giuseppe Verdi, the Man, the Work, the Myth” and social responsibility 78 The enchantment of Science 102 “The Beauty of Imaging” in Felice Frankel’s photographs at the Milan Triennale Museum 28 “Venice. Canaletto and his rivals” 54 Alongside the Lombard journalists at Palazzo Serbelloni 80 The triumphant tours of the La Scala 104 30 years of “Poesia” 30 The La Scala Philharmonic Philharmonic between America and Asia at the Universal Exposition in China 56 Joseph in the tapestries of Pontormo 106 A journey “Inside Caravaggio” and Bronzino 82 X-rays reveal the magic of shells 32 Art Masterpieces: the “pride” of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2015

6 7 ROME 2007 | 2011

The Quirinal Palace: restoration of the Pope Alexander VII Chigi Gallery For the first time a private partner is received by the Presidency of the Republic

The restoration of the Pope Alexander VII Chigi Gallery at the Quirinal Palace brought one of the most extraordinary treasures of the Italian historic-artistic patrimony back to its original splendor; a pictorial recovery project in a place that is a cornerstone of Italy’s institutional history. Indeed, the Pope Chigi Gal- lery is located inside the official residence of the President of the Republic and the restoration has highlighted all of the unique characteristics of the time, namely the evocative power of the seventeenth-century wall decoration and their original luminosity thanks to the reopening of the windows looking onto the court of honor. The three halls of the Sista Wing at the Quirinal – the Yellow Hall, the Augustus Hall and the Hall of the Ambassadors – were historically part of one single, large gallery seventy meters long, painted by a group of artists under Pietro da Cortona and commissioned by Pope Alexander VII Chigi. The President of the Republic himself, Giorgio Napolitano, regarding the project wrote: “Following a ten-year restoration of the paintings made between 1655 and 1656 by Pietro da Cortona and his disciples in the Alexander VII Chigi Gallery, the President of the Republic returns a pure jewel of Roman Baroque to the Italian and world heritage. This restoration is the result of an exemplary collaboration between the Secretariat General of the President of the Republic, the Superintendent for the Polo Museale of the City of Rome and the Bracco Foundation, which financed the final part of the works in the Hall of the Am- bassadors. Thanks to the combined efforts of these institutions and a private Foundation, the Quirinal, the home of all Italians, rediscovers one of the most glorious pages in its centuries-old history.”

View of the eastern wall decoration of the Hall of the Ambassadors, Quirinal Palace

8 9 WASHINGTON 17.III.2011

Lorin Maazel at the Italian Embassy in the United States An extraordinary concert for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification in Washington

Washington is a special city and, for many, it even represents the capital of the West. With the aim of promoting the power of Italian talent in art and music also in the United States, the Bracco Foundation sponsored an important concert in 2011 to launch the commencement of official celebrations for the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification in the United States. For this celebratory event, the Bracco Foundation worked together with the Ital- ian Embassy as an institutional partner, lending its contribution in organizing this symphony concert conducted by Maestro Lorin Maazel, with the Petruzzelli Foundation Orchestra of Bari. On the program were the best pages of Rossini, Verdi, Puccini and Respighi. The event was held at the Italian Embassy in the USA and was attended by prestigious figures from American and international institutions. The concert belonged to a series of initiatives titled: “La dolce DC” (Sweet DC), which the American capital dedicated to our country throughout 2011; a varied program that involved all of the arts inspired by the Italian “Dolce Vita”, which still today makes the entire world dream. This distinguished event joined a long history of collaboration between Bracco and Washington, which began in 2006 with an exhibition on Giorgione, Bellini and Titian held at the National Gallery of Art and was followed in 2011 by the Venetian Vedutism exhibit, to which we dedicate specific pages in this book.

Lorin Maazel conducts the Petruzzelli Foundation Orchestra at the Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C., 17 March 2011

10 11 MILAN 16.III.2011

Giuseppe Garibaldi’s letters to the workers of Milan The Chamber of Labour and the Bracco Foundation celebrate the Unification of Italy

It all began on the occasion of the 150th anniversary celebrations of the Unifi- cation of Italy. The presence of the then President of the Republic, Giorgio Na- politano, at the inauguration of the exhibition “The Young Rebels of ‘48,” which opened on 20 March 2011 at the Royal Palace in Milan, created the premise for a truly extraordinary historical preview at the Chamber of Labour in Milan. On 16 March, four days prior to the opening of the exhibition, the Bracco Foun- dation made public two valuable letters for the history of Italy, sent by Giuseppe Garibaldi to Milanese workers and part of the Bracco family’s private collection. “The Bracco Foundation is pleased to offer its contribution to the festivities of the 150th anniversary of Italian Unification, organized by the Milan Chamber of Labour, by presenting these vibrant, unpublished writings from 1861 by Gi- useppe Garibaldi to the workers of Milan on a day in March full of dreams and hopes,” writes Diana Bracco for the occasion. The Bracco family came into their possession thanks to Elio, Diana’s grandfather, an ardent irredentist who fought to reclaim Istria as part of Italy, at the time under the domination of Austria, and who saw in Garibaldi a source of inspiration. On the eve of the First World War, Elio Bracco was arrested and brought to the Graz jail for his patriotism. That dramatic event also marked the beginning of the vicissitudes that brought the Bracco family from Neresine to Milan, where Elio founded the Bracco Group in 1927. Giuseppe Garibaldi’s letter published here, besides being on view at the Royal Palace of Milan in the exhibit mentioned, was read by the actress Paola Cor- tellesi on 1 May 2011 in an evening at the Quirinal Palace along with additional writings by Mazzini, Cavour and other patriots in the presence of President Na- politano. Giuseppe Garibaldi’s letters to the workers of Milan, 3 March 1861, property of Bracco Historical Archives

12 13 MILAN 20.I.2017

Riccardo Muti’s return to the La Scala Theater The great maestro on tour with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Riccardo Muti’s return to the La Scala Theater was a triumph, thanks also to the execution of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra on a European tour which included performances in Paris and Vienna, and to a remarkable program chosen for the two nights of January 20th and 21st. The concert of 20 January 2017 at the Piermarini conducted by Maestro Muti, who was Musical Director of La Scala from 1986 to 2005, was sponsored by the Bracco Group, which kicked off celebrations of its ninetieth anniversary with this event of unique artistic range. The extraordinary pieces played: La Contemplazione by Alfredo Catalani, Don Juan by Richard Strauss, Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. The following evening, supported by the friends of Mapei, Kon- zertmusik Op. 50 for strings and brass by Paul Hindemith, In the South (Alassio) Op. 50 by Edward Elgar, Night on Bald Mountain and Pictures at an Exhibition (orchestration by Maurice Ravel) by Modest Mussorgsky were performed. Throughout this long journey, the Bracco Group has been alongside the La Sca- la Theater with support for various concerts and performances. For the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, where Riccardo Muti became Music Director in 2010 and which is considered among the best international symphony orchestras, it was its third appearance at La Scala after the concerts conducted by Sir George Solti for the symphonic seasons in 1971 and 1981. “Muti moved us and ably touched each person’s heart,” were Diana Bracco’s words at the close of this historic event.

The ovation at the conclusion of the concert at the La Scala Theater, 20 January 2017

14 15 MILAN X.1988

The 150th anniversary of the Museum of Natural History The restoration of an oasis of knowledge in the heart of Milan

If one simply looked back at the quality of the initiatives held at the Museum of Natural History in Milan in 1988 for the celebrations for its 150 years, one could understand how at times it is useful, if not fundamental, to join public and private forces for the good of civil society. The rich celebratory program also enjoyed the support of the Bracco Group, then run by Fulvio Bracco, which financed the construction of new dioramas that still today delight Museum visitors, most of all children. The project sponsored by Bracco saw the renovation and modernization of the exposition rooms that at the time placed the Milanese complex at the forefront among natural history museums of the world. The new arrangement led to a reconstruction of environments through the “Diorama” technique, or the three-dimensional representation of various geographical areas of the earth, complete with flora and fauna. The Museum of Natural History is still today a destination for hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic visitors more curious than ever about the animal world, and its management continues to generously propose exhibitions and itiner- aries meant to keep close contact with a nature that is encountering more and more obstacles in the progressive deterioration of the human and animal habitat.

Dioramas from the Museum of Natural History in Milan

16 17 MILAN 2014 | 2015

The Pollaiolo Ladies at the Poldi Pezzoli Museum A Florentine Renaissance bottega and female beauty

An exhibition of utmost artistic and scientific importance, an invaluable exposition, a captivating tale of “know-how” and of utterly Italian beauty, an achieve- ment never before seen. Adjacent to the “Portrait of a Young Lady” by Piero del Pollaiolo, claimed by the Milanese themselves as the very symbol of the museum and considered one of the greatest masterpieces of portraiture from the second half of the 15th century, were shown for the first time in history the other three portraits eventually attributed to the Pollaiolo brothers, thanks to generous loans from national and international institutions: the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, the Gemäldegalerie in Berlin and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. The four paintings, most likely belonging to the genre of “wedding portrait,” may also be seen as a privileged means for representing early Renaissance society. “This exhibition must also be the occasion to reflect on the critical success and the collective imagination of the “Portrait of a Lady” at the Poldi Pezzoli Mu- seum, one of the most celebrated icons of Milan, and on the subject of female beauty, past and present,” wrote Annalisa Zanni, Director of the Poldi Pezzoli Museum, in the accompanying booklet for the exposition, of which the Bracco The four Ladies by Piero del Pollaiolo Foundation was main partner. reunited for the first Mayor Giuliano Pisapia also remarked: “Four portraits of women, four faces of time: top left Portrait beauty have come to the Poldi Pezzoli Museum [...]. The result is marvelous and of a Young Lady, ca. 1465 (Gemäldegalerie, intriguing: the four ladies enter the house-museum on via Manzoni and they Berlin); top right reside there for a few months, permitting us a meeting with two extraordinary Portrait of a Young Lady, ca. 1470 (Poldi artists who distinguished themselves during the Florentine Quattrocento.” Pezzoli Museum, Milan); bottom left Portrait of a Young Lady, ca. 1480 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York); bottom right Portrait of a Young Lady, ca. 1480 (Uffizi Gallery, Florence)

18 19 GENOA, NAPLES, ROME, PALERMO, VARESE, MILAN 1999 | 2002

“Living Fountains”, from North to South A national urban restoration project

The main star of this project is the urban and architectural culture of Italy, which saw numerous historically important fountains restored in the cities of Genoa, Naples, Rome, Palermo and Varese, together with the pool at Villa Necchi Cam- piglio in Milan, now part of the FAI (Italian National Trust) patrimony. The Bracco Group returned to their original beauty some Italian fountains that had been left to the ravages of time, but particularly to the merciless effects of smog and the toxicity of those polluting agents that, not to mention the acts of vandalism, degrade the real and true heritage of humanity. The “Living Fountains” initiative began in 1999 in Genoa and, more precisely, in Piazza Marsala with the restoration of the 16th century work by Giovanni Gia- como della Porta and Nicolò della Corte, as well as the fountain on Via Luccoli, created in the 1700’s by an unknown artist. Following Genoa, another magnificent monument in the city of Naples was safeguarded, namely the Baroque fountain of Sellaria, commissioned by the viceroy Inigo Vélez de Guevara of Oñate. The monument, built in 1650 and then placed in Piazza Sellaria from which it takes its name, was moved in 1903 to the small square Grande Archivio. Palermo was another location for this restoration project which, in 2002, revived the Triton Fountain (or Glauco) located in Villa Trabia delle Terre Rosse. As part of the project, sponsored by the Bracco Group in order to highlight the worth of the country’s patrimony of monuments, images from a great photographer, Gabriele Basilico, are stored in the company’s archive as a way to make the historical memory of this journey through beauty even more vivid.

Sellaria Fountain, Grande Archivio Square, Naples, 2000

20 21 MILAN 2014 | 2015

Giorgio Strehler: “A man for Milan, a theater for Europe” An exhibit and a book laud a creative genius

It is a title that describes a journey into the emotions of the theater in the round. The show, organized by the Bracco Foundation at the CDI (Italian Diagnostics Center) from 15 December 2014 to 31 March 2015, in collaboration with the La Scala Theater Academy and the University of Milan, revealed previously unknown aspects of the complexity of an author who has few equals in the world: Giorgio Strehler. It was an initiative, as part of the “Milano cuore d’Europa” (Milan, the heart of Europe) program launched by the city of Milan, that meant to highlight the important legacy that the director from Trieste left for Italian theater and Milan, his adopted city, which through him gained European and international recognition. Beginning with the poster from the legendary play “The Tempest” by William Shakespeare, the exhibition as well as the book were a true rollercoaster of emotions that accompanied the visitor up until the end; the wonderful book published by the Bracco Foundation is proof of this. The iconography of the book and the exhibit did not exclude the somber moments of the war when the La Scala Theater itself suffered heavy bombard- ments and Milan was enduring a daily struggle to emerge from the blackness of a devastating oppression. One image shows the effort put into the pictorial research of this exposition project: the photo illustrates La Scala’s opening concert following the Liberation, a powerful event that gave shape to that which Strehler himself had conceptualized and bequeathed to us all: the “Theater as a total experience.” And it is precisely this concept, represented in an image from the Albergo dei poveri, that in 1947 gave birth to the new seasons of the Piccolo theater. As it did to the new seasons of our country. Giorgio Strehler and Riccardo Muti during rehearsals for Don Giovanni by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, La Scala Theater, 1987-88 Season

22 23 MILAN 2013 | 2014

Lovers, victims and fallen women Verdi’s heroines live on thanks to young tailors of the La Scala Theater Academy

The originality of this project lies in its initial premise: a symbiosis of business and the training of young craftsmen as a fruitful union of art, culture and know- how. The exhibition “Prima donnas. Verdi’s heroines: lovers, victims and fallen women”, organized by the Bracco Foundation in collaboration with the La Scala Theater Academy and staged in the Italian Diagnostics Center in Milan from 16 December 2013 to 31 March 2014, marked the bicentennial of the birth of Giuseppe Verdi with the exposition of the original costumes of four female protagonists of as many operas by Verdi, reconstructed for the event by students of the La Scala Theater Academy, working from sketches drawn by some of the best Italian illustrators and set designers of the 1800s and 1900s. Linen, cotton, satin, smooth and crinkled silk, jacquard fabrics, fancy velvets, silk damasks, and brocades, all finely crafted to bring the stories of Verdi’s heroines to life. The exhibition presented the costumes in a refined setting of the time periods in which the events in the operas took place: the end of the 15th century in Oth- ello, 1850 in La traviata, the Spanish Counter-Reformation in Don Carlo, and the late 17th century in Un ballo in maschera. The exhibit included a rich set of photographs: along with shots of all of the phases of production illustrating the elements that go into creating a stage costume, from crinolines to petticoats, from bodices to corsets, there was also a tribute to the legends of the La Scala Theater and to those directors and costume designers who, with passion and ingenuity, crafted true masterpieces. From left, costumes for Desdemona (Othello), Elisabetta (Don Carlo), Amelia (Un ballo in maschera) and Violetta (La traviata), created by students of the Theatrical Tailoring course at the La Scala Theater Academy

24 25 MILAN 2000 | 2001

“Giuseppe Verdi, the Man, the Work, the Myth” An exhibit at the Royal Palace to commemorate the centenary of the maestro’s passing

The greatness of Giuseppe Verdi has by now been cemented not only by his musical renown but also by the historic events to which he himself was so com- mitted, writing texts of heroic patriotism. Taking part in the exhibition celebrating the centennial of his death on the occasion of the Verdi Celebrations under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic was a necessary gesture for the Bracco Group given its passion for music and the love of Italy that has always been part of the DNA of this philanthropic family with Istrian roots. The exhibition, held from 17 November 2000 to 25 February 2001 at the Royal Palace in Milan, received the backing of the Ministry of Heritage and Cultural Activities of the Lombardy Region and the Milan Province, and was promoted by the La Scala Theater Foundation, the Casa Ricordi archive, and by the City of Milan with an honorary board chaired by Riccardo Muti and with a prestigious scientific board. It was a remarkably complex and emotional show, where one could see the man, Giuseppe Verdi, in his artistic illustriousness, thanks also to the use of multimedia technologies. Indeed, the exhibit’s itinerary brought the visitor on a journey to discover his works through various innovative forms of perception, starting with his music, present throughout the exhibition. Thanks to the utilization of multimedia, visitors were able to visualize parts of the performance, to walk the stage and even touch the historical costumes and musical instruments accompanying the scene, read his letters and view photographs from that time. It was a comprehensive story of a historical figure who by now belongs to the patrimony of humanity.

A room from the exhibition. In the background, an image from Giuseppe Verdi’s funeral in Milan in 1901

26 27 WASHINGTON 2011

“Venice. Canaletto and his rivals” At the National Gallery of Art, an exhibition of beauty, talent and science

If millions of tourists still flood the city of Venice today, it is also because talent- ed painters like Canaletto – with which we must also mention names such as Bellotto, Guardi, Marieschi, Joli and others – have indelibly fixed an image of the city in our collective imagination. Many of them utilized a pre-photographic technology – the camera obscura – employing a technique that provided the layout of the canvas perspective according to highly accurate optical principles. The link between art and science in the exhibit was also examined by Dario Camuffo, professor of the CNR Institute of Atmospheric and Climate Sciences in Padova, from whom the Bracco Foundation had also commissioned a specific study on the use of the camera obscura by Vedutists, which also provided sur- prising information about the change in the sea level in Venice. Venetian Vedutism was also the focus of an international seminar arranged in Milan by the Bracco Foundation in collaboration with the Amici di Brera Associ- ation and with the Pinacoteca di Brera art gallery, during which various historic, artistic and scientific aspects were explored regarding this exceptional Italian painting period. The initiative, sponsored by the Bracco Foundation, fortified the ties between the Group and the National Gallery of Art in Washington following the exposition in 2006 dedicated to the great masters of the Italian Renaissance including Bellini, Giorgione and Titian, which can be found in the pages of this book. The exhibition, which included over sixty masterpieces by Canaletto and his

most important contemporaries, enjoyed amazing public success and was one Canaletto, The of the major cultural events in the USA capital, right in the year celebrating the Entrance to the Grand 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy; a meaningful contribution to the Canal and Santa Maria della Salute cultural cooperation between Italy and the United States. from the Molo (detail), oil on canvas, ca. 1743 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, Gift of Mrs. Barbara Hutton)

28 29 SHANGHAI IX.2010

The La Scala Philharmonic at the Universal Exposition in China The triumph of Italian music at the 2010 Expo in Shanghai

With over 50 million visitors, 189 countries hosted, 57 international organiza- tions, and more than 40 city participants, Shanghai 2010 was one of the most impressive Universal Expositions of all time. Italy, in view of the handover for Expo 2015, was present in force, with a fascinating pavilion that had the honor of being among the very few to be preserved after the Expo. The La Scala Philharmonic concert was one of the high points of Italian participation at the Chinese Expo. “With this performance by the Philharmonic, indeed, Italy sends a message of dialogue and of brotherhood between peoples, interpreting to the fullest the authentic spirit of the Universal Expositions, and building an ideal bridge between Expo 2010 and the Expo that Milan will host in 2015,” wrote Diana Brac- co as the President of Expo 2015 and the Bracco Group, partner of the project. For the La Scala Philharmonic, this concert was its ninth tour in Asia. Conducting and performing were two exceptional maestros: Semyon Bychkov, and Chinese pianist Yuja Wang, who commenced the 2010/2011 season of the Philharmonic. The collaboration between Italy and China should be noted, which gave various young musicians the opportunity to initiate contact with prestigious international institutions in the field of music. The concert program was greatly received by the Chinese guests and by the representation from all the participating countries at the Expo: Sergei Vasiliev- ich Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Gioacchino Rossini’s Overture from William Tell, Giacomo Puccini’s Intermezzo from Manon Lescaut, Pietro Mas- cagni’s Intermezzo from Cavalleria Rusticana, Giuseppe Verdi’s Overture from Nabucco and the Symphony from La Forza del destino.

Pianist Yuja Wang, star of the concert with the La Scala Philharmonic, 17 September 2010, Expo Shanghai 2010

30 31 MILAN 2015

Art Masterpieces: the “pride” of the Italian Pavilion at Expo 2015 Vanessa Beecroft’s “Jennifer Statuario” meets classic beauty

The Italian Pavilion at Expo 2015 was not only the theater of multisensory emotions conceived by Marco Balich, but also a treasured journey through some marvelous works of art carefully chosen to move the spectators. In the Palazzo Italia courtyard, from 1 May to 31 October, ancient and contemporary femininity faced one another. On one side a Hora statue, goddess of fertility of the earth, carved from Car rara marble, from the 1st century A.D. and loaned as an exception by the Uffizi Gallery in Florence; across from Hora, in a bold juxtaposition envisioned by Marco Balich, the statue of Jennifer Statuario was displayed, specially created for Expo Milan 2015 by Vanessa Beecroft, one of the best internationally recognized Italian artists. Jennifer is a sculpture flanked by four blocks of quarry marble covered with blue wax. The classical-figurative style is employed while the sculpture’s posture, along with other elements, is meant to subvert the idea On the left. Hora, from of classicism. Carrara marble, a work from the 1st century A.D. In another area of the courtyard the Trapezophoros, a table support in painted (Uffizi Gallery, Florence) marble dating back to the second half of the 4th century B.C, from Ascoli Satri- shown in the courtyard of Palazzo Italia at Expo ano, was placed. Milano 2015 Other noteworthy loans were Arcimboldo’s Ortolano from the City of Cremona On the right top. together with the Clisbee Stradivarius violin from 1669, and the tapestry Futurist Vanessa Beecroft, Jennifer Statuario, Genius by Giacomo Balla, the symbol of the International Exhibition of Decora- marble, 2015 (Palazzo tive Arts in Paris in 1925. This last work was generously lent by Laura Biagiotti, a Visconti, Milan) exhibited in the Palazzo symbol of Made in Italy and an enlightened patron, recently deceased. Italia courtyard at Expo “For two years we worked so that at Expo it might be plainly visible to the world Milan 2015 that our patrimony of beauty is not merely a great touristic resource, but also On the right bottom. the heart of our national identity,” stated Ilaria Borletti Buitoni, Undersecretary Antonio Stradivari, Clisbee Violin, 1669 of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism. (Violin Museum, “I believe that the choice of exhibits, initiatives and works we are displaying Cremona) shown in the Delegation Room of today are the proof.” Palazzo Italia at Expo Milan 2015

32 33 MILAN 2015

When Italian music inspires the world The Tree of Life melodies and the young La Scala musicians at the Milan Expo 2015

The image for which Expo Milan 2015 will be remembered is undoubtedly that of the Tree of Life, which powerfully moved 21 million visitors from all around the world. But the rich fabric of this exposition was made of many other memorable threads; among these were two extraordinary musical events. On 26 September 2015, the La Scala Theater Academy Orchestra performed a concert at the Expo Center’s Open Plaza conducted by Pietro Mianiti and offered by the Bracco Foundation to all of the visitors to the exposition site as part of its multi-year support of the educational activities for young La Scala artists. The program paid homage to the greatest Italian composers – Bellini, Rossi- ni, Puccini, Mascagni and Verdi – in which symphonies and intermezzos were proposed from their most celebrated operas: Norma, The Barber of Seville, The Thieving Magpie, Manon Lescaut, Cavalleria Rusticana, La forza del destino, Nabucco. Cherished pieces by the public, they are also often used in cinema. The concert gave seventy young musicians the opportunity to perform at the Universal Exposition event to demonstrate how music and talent may best represent the image of Italy in the world. The second exceptional musical event that once again called upon the young talents of the La Scala Theater Academy Orchestra took place on 21 October 2015 in the scenic Expo Open Air Theater with a live rendition of all of the melodies composed for the Tree of Life light and sound shows by Maestro Roberto Cacciapaglia, in a rare onstage performance, with the young La Scala musicians.

The Tree of Life illuminated during the show at Expo Milan 2015

34 35 GENOA, MILAN, NAPLES, POTENZA, ROME 2003

Water in Mike Goldwater’s shots A photographic exhibition dedicated to one of humanity’s fundamental resources

In 1993, the United Nations Assembly, aware of the fact that water is a primary need that is yet inaccessible to millions of people, created “World Water Day”, to fall on the 22nd of March. In 2003, coinciding with its 10-year anniversary, the “International Year of Freshwater” was also celebrated and Bracco decided to participate by supporting Mike Goldwater’s outstanding photographic exhibit in partnership with Green Cross, a non-governmental association recognized by the United Nations, founded and headed by Mikhail Gorbachev; Rita Levi Montalcini also served as Honorary President of the Italian branch. The event, as part of the “Water for Life and Peace” project, was realized thanks to the High Patronage of the Presidency of the Italian Republic. Born in London in 1951, Goldwater, founder and director of “Network Photog- rapher” and world-acclaimed photojournalist, worked on this project with care and sensibility, producing exceptional images. The exhibit, augmented by scientific texts by Mario Tozzi, at the time a Re- searcher at the CNR and host of the RAI “Gaia” program, presented the pre- ciousness of an essential element for any life form thanks to a series of marvelous photos. It was an extensive journey that traveled to the cities of Genoa, Milan, Naples, Potenza and Rome – one that accompanied the reader on a discovery of an Mike Goldwater, invaluable resource and an imperative global need. The spillway gates of the Itaipu dam, built across the Paranà river on the Paraguay-Brazil border, are opened for the first time. In order to provide electricity to the two neighboring countries, the dam flooded vast areas of arable land and forced 40,000 people to move, 1982

36 37 CREMONA 2016 | 2017

The rediscovery of Janello Torriani Renaissance inventor and genius in a Cremona exhibition

An exhibit dedicated to an Italian genius of the Renaissance with incredible creative power and with ideas that, at the time, instilled fear in many courtiers: Janello Torriani, born in Cremona in 1500 and died in Toledo in 1585. His name is almost unknown in Italy even though in his lifetime it was near- ly as widely recognized as that of Archimedes. He was capable of fascinating the two most powerful monarchs of his time, Charles V and his son Philip II of Spain, who called on his services, considering him as much a genius as Leonar- do da Vinci is for us today. Unlike Leonardo, Janello Torriani did not know how to paint, yet his hands knew how to create wonders that the whole of Europe envied: extremely sophisticated mechanisms, run by elaborate machines which today are provided by the most advanced technologies. Janello Torriani was both inventor and artist, common at a time when scientific research, discoveries and inventions went hand in hand. Snatched from Leonardo’s Milan by Philip II of Spain, this visionary scientist built hydraulic and mechanical systems so precise and effective that they provided a stimulus for the entire Spanish nation. Sponsored by the Bracco Foundation, the first exposition ever organized for this extraordinary personage was held at the Museo del Violino (Violin Museum) in Cremona in 2016. The exhibit was coordinated by the City of Cremona, curated by the young researcher Cristiano Zanetti and by Cinzia Galli, head of the city’s science museums, in collaboration with the Arvedi Bruschini Foundation and the Juanelo Turriano Foundation of Toledo. The exhibition itinerary explored and reconstructed a creative story of rare and overwhelming efficacy. Torriani was, in fact, a hydraulic and civil engineer, a court mathematician, an inventor, a skilled blacksmith, and an internationally renowned clockmaker. Portrait of Janello Torriani, spanish painter XVI century, oil on canvas, Ala Ponzone Civic Museum, Cremona

38 39 WASHINGTON 2013

Leonardo da Vinci and the “Codex on the Flight of Birds” A visionary manuscript by the Italian genius on exhibit at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

“The day when you walk upon the earth after having flown, you will glance at the sky because there you have been and there you will wish to return,” wrote Leonardo da Vinci regarding one of his greatest fascinations. For him, flying was neither a dream nor an obsession, but rather a certainty; and not only. A Renaissance man par excellence, he was a painter, sculptor, architect, engineer, mathematician, geologist, pathologist, cartographer and botanist. To all of this, we can add his “Flying Machines” or better, his studies of flight. Leonardo was already studying the flight of birds in the early 1500s, both out of scientific curiosity and in order to realize a primary human dream: to fly. The exhibition was held in Washington from 13 September to 22 October 2013, organized by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Cultural Heri- tage and Activities and the Italian Embassy in the United States, and brought to fruition also with the support of the Bracco Foundation. A significant showing was given for“Codex on the Flight of Birds,” a small manuscript from 1505 with just 18 folios and currently preserved at the Biblioteca Reale in Turin, in which Leonardo noted the observations that would soon after bring him to admit that man would never be able to fly without mechanical means. And his flying machines were so advanced they could harness the aero- dynamic principles that allow birds to take off in flight. The exhibit, organized in 2013 during the Year of Italian Culture in the United States, allowed the American public to admire one of the codices generated by modern science and laid the foundation for an engineering capable of changing the world. Leonardo describes the use of flight testing apparatus to understand aerodynamics. The presence of the leaf image indicates a reused sheet of paper

40 41 WASHINGTON 2006 VIENNA 2006 | 2007

“Bellini, Giorgione, Titian and the Renaissance of Venetian painting” Art and science in two cultural events at the National Gallery of Art and the Kunsthistorisches Museum

This exposition, held at the National Gallery of Art in Washington from 18 June to 8 September 2006 and at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna from 17 October 2006 to 7 January 2007, highlighted the deep analogies between innovation originating both in art and in science. “This new initiative with the National Gallery represents another step forward in our long-standing commitment to the promotion of Italian artistic and cultural heritage, particularly in the United States, who for years has seen us as a leading company with a direct presence, including significant research activities and clinical development,” explained Diana Bracco, President of the Bracco Group, sponsor of the initiative. Emphasizing this principle was the singularity of this exhibit which, besides showing works from extraordinary masters like Giovanni Bellini, Giorgione and Titian, presented a study comparing medical diagnostic techniques and techniques of universal scientific relevance. The masterpieces shown, in fact, were studied with radiological technologies, in addition to other sophisticated methods utilizing similar platforms to those Bracco has developed for cutting-edge medical applications. This exhibition, therefore, due to Imaging application techniques, gave the Na- tional Gallery of Washington and the Kunsthistorisches Museum the opportunity to perform a joint evaluation of the results of the technical research carried out on six paintings. A special section of the exhibit offered visitors the chance to examine most of the technical information by which, for the first time after centuries, unknown aspects of the painters’ original intentions could be discovered and how these then influenced their definitive aesthetic choices about the final appearance of the paintings, also departing from their initial intent. Giovanni Bellini and Titian, The Feast of the Gods, oil on canvas, 1514/1529 (National Gallery of Art, Washington, Widener Collection)

42 43 CHICAGO, WASHINGTON 2013

Two concerts for the Year of Italian Culture in the United States The first time for the La Scala Theatre Academy Orchestra’s young artists in America

In 2013, the Year of Italian Culture in the United States, the soloists and the La Scala Theatre Academy Orchestra crossed the ocean for the first time for two important concerts conducted by Maestro Daniele Rustioni. Thanks to support from the Bracco Foundation, the young musicians performed first at the Harris Theater for Music and Dance in Chicago (2 December 2013) and then at the prestigious Strathmore Concert Hall in Bethesda, near Washington (4 dicembre 2013). The two concerts were a tribute to the Italian operatic legacy, much beloved in America, with overtures and arias from the most notable operas of Gioachino Rossini, Gaetano Donizetti, Giuseppe Verdi and Giacomo Puccini, in addition to an excursion into cinematic music with a symphonic interpretation of the score written by Nino Rota for “La Strada” by Federico Fellini. The repertoire was widely appreciated by the public and the critics who recognized it as a tremen- dously skillful performance. For the Academy Orchestra, the concerts in the United States were an invaluable experience, one that enhanced its distinguished record after numerous significant performances during 2013, among which La Scala di Seta (The Silken Ladder) by Gioachino Rossini for the Academy Project at the La Scala Theater and the Gala for the 200-year anniversary of the Ballet School where they accompanied the dancers on the stage under the direction of David Coleman. The project was perfectly in line with the Foundation’s mission, which aims to promote cultural growth and at the same time offer young people the opportu-

nity to develop their talents in Italy and around the world. Soprano Ludmilla Bauerfeldt and tenor Jaeyoon Jung at the conclusion of the La Scala Theater Academy concert at the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda (Washington), 4 December 2013

44 45 MILAN 2004 | 2005 NEW YORK 2005

From the Brera Art Gallery to the Metropolitan Museum: the consecration of Fra Carnevale An exhibition under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic which shed new light on a page of the Renaissance

Masterpieces by an artist who remained an enigma for centuries were gathered together for the first time in an exhibit that provided the definitive setting in the history of art to the painter from Urbino: Fra Carnevale, born as Bartolomeo Corradini. The exhibit also allowed us to discover many secrets through sophisticated technical analyses and radiological studies which let us see the paintings “from within.” The techniques are based on the same principles of non-in- vasive imaging diagnostics applied to humans, or the “life from inside” sector of which the Bracco Group is a global leader. In the exhibition “Fra Carnevale: Renaissance artist from Filippo Lippi to Piero della Francesca,” organized under the High Patronage of the President of the Republic with the patronage of the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities and the Superintendence of the Historic, Artistic and Demoethno- Anthropo- logical Heritage in Milan, a definitive attribution was granted to his paintings, which traveled from major museums worldwide (New York, Boston, Washing- ton, Munich, Berlin, London, Vienna), and the “Tavole Barberini” were reunited after centuries. Joining these works were masterpieces from some of the Re- naissance masters with whom Fra Carnevale had the chance to interact with, such as Filippo Lippi, Domenico Veneziano, Paolo Uccello, and the young Piero della Francesca. The show, supported by Bracco, enjoyed two distinguished venues: the Brera Art Gallery in Milan (13 October 2004 – 9 January 2005) and the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York (1 February – 1 May 2005).

Fra Carnevale, The Birth of the Virgin, tempera and oil on wood, 1467 (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)

46 47 VIENNA 2002, 2003, 2012

Outstanding music in Vienna From the Wiener Saengerknaben Boys’ Choir to Renato Bruson and Pretty Yende

“Celebrating events and scientific symposiums in the name of classical music is a tradition for us,” writes Diana Bracco on this Viennese occasion. “I recall celebrating, in 1995, the centenary of the discovery of X-rays with three concerts by the La Scala Philharmonic in Milan, Rome and Palermo. And I remember our sponsorship of the first symphony and chamber concerts, the publications dedicated to performers, the scholarships for young musicians, the evenings at the Opera and the exhibitions, among which the one honoring Giuseppe Verdi on the centennial of his death.” In Vienna, where the most significant congress of European radiology is held each year in March, Bracco has organized great concerts on numerous occa- sions: in 2002 with the famous Vienna Boys’ Choir, Wiener Saengerknaben, in the Hofburg Chapel and in 2003 in the most renowned hall in all the continents, the Musikverein; thanks to this New Year’s Concert, guests were able to experience the genuine atmosphere of old Vienna with waltzes and polkas from the Strauss family. In 2012 in the Grosser Redoutensaal of the Hofburg in Vienna, the star of this concert was the La Scala Theater Academy Orchestra conducted by Maestro Pietro Mianiti with the voices of the legendary baritone Renato Bruson (the then Director of the Academy of Lyric Opera and mentor) and the very young South Above, baritone Renato African soprano Pretty Yende, who graduated from the Academy in 2011 and is Bruson, soprano Pretty today an established voice on the international opera scene. Yende (La Scala Theater Academy student) and It was an inspiring encounter between masters and students, and an expression Maestro Pietro Mianiti of Bracco’s multi-year partnership with the La Scala Theater Academy to pro- at the conclusion of mote young artists in Italy and abroad, with a special focus on female talents. the concert in the Grosser Redoutensaal of the Hofburg, Vienna, March 2012 Below, concert in the Golden Hall of the Musikverein, Vienna, March 2003

48 49 AQUILEIA 2016

“Lions and bulls from ancient Persia to Aquileia” Achaemenid and Sassanian treasures, gold and sculptures from the Museum of Teheran and Persepolis

The exhibit “Lions and Bulls from ancient Persia to Aquileia,” organized by the Aquileia Foundation in collaboration with the Polo museale of the Friuli-Vene- zia Giulia region, the National Museum of Iran, the Iranian Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organization and sponsored by the Bracco Founda- tion, offered an extraordinary collection of treasures, some of which never before shown in the West. Held at the National Archaeological Museum in Aquileia (Udine) from 25 June – 30 September 2016, the exhibit restored the splendor of the artistic culture of a world, the Islamic world, that today finds itself at the center of tensions and particularly violent interethnic conflicts. The exposition, which perfectly combined the memory of two grand cities, Persepolis and Aquileia, presented invaluable finds that cover an extremely long time span, evidence of two powerful dynasties from Pre-Islamic Iran: the Achaemenids and Sassanids. The bulls and lions named in the title of the exhibit are linked not only with the Mesopotamian and Alamite tradition, but also with that of the Iranian Iron Age when the presence of animal symbolism was especially strong. As for Italy, this exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, by the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region and by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs – a way to be partners in the peaceful and prosperous development of collaboration between peoples, including the values of an imperative cultural exchange for humanity.

Rhyton terminating in a crouching winged lion, gold, 5th Century B.C., Hamadan, Western Iran

50 51 SÃO PAULO 2013

In São Paulo, between music and social responsibility The Heliópolis Symphony Orchestra in Brazil together with La Scala Academy soloists

On the occasion of the 43rd São Paulo Radiological Meeting (JPR), the most important conference on Diagnostic Imaging in Latin America, on 2 May 2013, the young opera singers from the La Scala Theater Academy in Milan proved themselves in a concert with the musicians from the Heliópolis Symphony Or- chestra of the Baccarelli Institute in São Paulo. Supported by the Bracco Foun- dation, the performance received a resounding applause from the audience, made up of institutional figures and field professionals. Besides the excellent musical program selected, as is customary by the Foun- dation in collaboration with the Academy, we must first mention that the Bacca- relli Institute Orchestra is composed of young students from the favelas (slums) on the outskirts of São Paulo, areas characterized by severe degradation as well as widespread petty crime due to a chronic lack of basic infrastructure for the population, especially for the youth. With this in mind, the Heliópolis Orches- tra offers children a chance for social redemption through the knowledge and practice of music. With conductor Edilson Venturelli, soprano Ludmilla Bauer- feldt, tenor Jaeyoon Jung from the La Scala Theater Academy and the Heliópo- lis Symphony Orchestra, the audience was offered the overture from The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, arias from Lucia di Lammermoor and Elixir of Love by Gaetano Donizetti, the overture from Fosca by Brazilian Antônio Carlos Gomes, the overture from La forza del destino, and sections from Rigoletto and La traviata by Giuseppe Verdi.

A young violinist from the Heliópolis Symphony Orchestra, Alfa Theater in São Paulo, 2 May 2013

52 53 MILAN 1996

Alongside the Lombard journalists at Palazzo Serbelloni The restoration of the Napoleonic Hall, the historic Press Circle in Milan

Created thanks to the Lombardy Association of Journalists under the honorary presidency of the Italian President of the Republic Luigi Einaudi, the Press Circle was one of the places of cultural revival in Milan. For years here, professionals of civil society – journalists, entrepreneurs, writers and intellectuals – met to launch global initiatives. There are many historic events, among which: General De Gaulle’s visit in 1959 and the press conference of the Dalai Lama S.S. Tenzin Gyatso on the occasion of his visit to Milan in 1982. The venue of these distinguished events, not to mention hundreds of congress- es, symposia and presentations, was Palazzo Serbelloni, one of the historic buildings on Corso Venezia in the heart of Milan, near Piazza San Babila. As with all architecture richly decorated with works of art, the Palazzo began to require repairs and restoration. Halfway through the Nineties, the Press Circle launched a heartfelt appeal to return the building’s main hall to its previous glory. This call for help was answered by Fulvio Bracco and by his daughter, Diana, who com- mitted themselves to a challenging restoration effort. In February 1996, the opening ceremony of the Napoleonic Hall, returned to its original beauty and finally handed back to the city, was held in Palazzo Serbel- loni. The event took place during the ceremony awarding the International Prize “Carlo Guidetti 1995” given by the National Union of Scientific Medical Informa- tion to the Italian Association of Radiology.

Napoleonic Hall in Palazzo Serbelloni in Milan following restoration

54 55 ROME 2015 MILAN 2015 FLORENCE 2015 | 2016

Joseph in the tapestries of Pontormo and Bronzino Alongside the Quirinal Palace for an extraordinary exhibit on Medici masterpieces reunited after 150 years

The Bracco Foundation enthusiastically sponsored this truly amazing project, which reunited the precious tapestries by Pontormo and Bronzino for the first time after one hundred and fifty years. The exhibition “The Prince of Dreams. Joseph in the Medici tapestries by Pon- tormo and Bronzino”, indeed, presented the twenty sixteenth-century tapestries commissioned by Cosimo I de’ Medici for the Hall of the Duecento in Palazzo Vecchio. The tapestries, which illustrate the story of Joseph, were di- vided between Florence and the Quirinal Palace in 1882 at the behest of the House of Savoy. Beginning 17 February 2015, they were reunited and shown together at this unique event for an entire year, organized by the Presidency of the Italian Republic and the City of Florence, in an exceptional exhibition that visited Rome (The Great Hall of the Cuirassiers in the Quirinal Palace, 17 Feb- ruary - 12 April), Milan (Hall of the Caryatids in the Royal Palace, 29 April - 23 August), and Florence (Hall of the Duecento in Palazzo Vecchio, 16 September - 15 February 2016). The exhibit, curated by Louis Godart, the then President of the Republic’s Advi- sor for the Preservation of Artistic Heritage, told the story of Joseph, whom the Medici family revered. For the Bracco Foundation, this exhibition was a highly important initiative which also represented a great example of a fruitful collaboration between the public and private sectors in the promotion of our masterpieces.

Some rooms from the exhibit “The Prince of dreams. Joseph in the Medici tapestries of Pontormo and Bronzino,” Quirinal Palace, Rome

56 57 MILAN 2012 | 2013 ROME 2013

Constantine, Helena and religious tolerance An exhibition on the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. and a book on an extraordinary woman – mother, emperor and saint

This exhibit, dedicated to the enactment of a historic Edict that legitimized the freedom of religious expression, was first and foremost an act of civil value towards man and his most inner needs. Symbolically titled “Constantine 313 A.D.,” the exhibition was first arranged in Milan at the Royal Palace (25 October 2012 – 17 March 2013) and then in Rome at the Colosseum (11 April – 15 September 2013). It was conceived of and designed by the Milan Diocesan Museum, curated by Gemma Sena Chiesa and Paolo Biscottini, promoted and organized by the City of Milan in collaboration with the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, the special Superinten- dence for archaeological monuments in Rome, the Aquileia Foundation, the Archdiocese of Milan, the University of Milan, and sponsored as main partner by the Bracco Foundation. The exhibition celebrated, 700 years later, the issuance of the 313 A.D. Edict of Milan signed by the Western Roman Emperor Constantine I and his Eastern counterpart, Licinius, which granted legal status to Christianity following centuries of persecution. A truly important element in the exposition was the focus on Constantine’s mother, Helena. The Bracco Foundation, which focuses on the gender ques- tion as one of its common themes, dedicated a monograph to this exceptional woman titled “Elena. All’ombra del potere (Helena. In the shadow of power)”, written by Elena Calandra, rich with historic details and a wonderful photographic section, published by Electa for the exhibit. It is an illustrated biography that reveals the secrets of the empress, saint, and mother to Constantine the Great, born in the first half of the 3rd century A.D; a text that gives us the “true face” of Helena, contextualized in the time period in which she lived. Statue of Helena, Greek marble, 324 A.D. (Capitoline Museums, Rome) in the exhibit space at the Colosseum

58 59 ROME, MILAN, PALERMO 1995

Chailly and Muti for science Outstanding music at Santa Cecilia, the Biondo Theater and La Scala for the Centennial of the X-Ray

On the centennial of the discovery of X-rays, which occurred in November of 1895 thanks to research by the German physicist Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen, Bracco celebrated this anniversary with three concerts by the La Scala Philhar- monic Orchestra in as many Italian cities. Rome, Milan and Palermo hosted three great musical events during which Ric- cardo Chailly and Riccardo Muti did their names justice. At the Santa Cecilia Auditorium in Rome on 4 November 1995, Riccardo Chailly conducted the Philharmonic Orchestra with violinist Vadim Repin, while Riccar- do Muti led the Orchestra in Milan on 13 November at the La Scala Theater with cellist Yo-Yo Ma. Riccardo Muti, on 11 December, then brought the Philharmonic to the Biondo Theater in Palermo with a program devoted to Beethoven and Mussorgskij. The three concerts were dedicated to AIL (the Italian Association against Leu- kemia), a nonprofit founded in Rome in 1969. Regardless of what the evolution of diagnostics will be, the culture of scientific research – a golden rule in Bracco – certainly does not end in the laboratory or in a digital alchemy, but rather lends itself to all creative pursuits that may enrich the quality of life, as art, music and the environment. And these three concerts were a way to demonstrate this principle once more.

Concert by the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Riccardo Muti at the Biondo Theater in Palermo celebrating the Centennial of the discovery of X-rays, 1995

60 61 BOLOGNA 2014 | 2015

The Etruscans and the hereafter with masterpieces and virtual reality Refined holograms and immersive technologies allow the Sarcophagus of the Spouses to shine

In the beautiful setting of the Museum of the History of Bologna in Palazzo Pepoli, the splendid exhibit “The voyage beyond life. The Etruscans and the hereafter with masterpieces and virtual reality” was brought to life. The project began with a joint idea from Genus Bononiae Musei nella Città, Fondazione Cassa di Risparmio in Bologna and the Villa Giulia National Museum in Rome, created in collaboration with the University of Bologna, the Archaeological Civ- ic Museum of Bologna, and the Superintendence of Architectural Heritage in Emilia Romagna and Southern Etruria, with the support of the Bracco Founda- tion. The exhibition revealed the traditions related to the Etruscans’ concept of the afterlife from multiple perspectives. The exposition, which presented numerous multimedia elements in order to maximize their contents to the fullest, saw a historic-scientific partnership that allowed the visitor to appreciate extraordinarily important finds thanks to the aid of virtual technologies that created immersive environments where art and science, in perfect harmony, were able to amaze the audience with a series of spectacular effects. Among the artifacts, handicrafts and symbols exhibited, one in particular merits special attention – namely, the Sarcophagus of the Spouses – which, for the occasion, was virtually reconstructed with cutting-edge technology. This complex production was the work of CINECA, which also coordinated the scientific area and the digital acquisition of the Sarcophagus together with a large team of researchers and specialists. It is another manifestation of the focus on the quality of creative expression that science is providing to culture and that the Bracco Foundation has supported in Virtual 3D reconstruction of order to push the limits of knowledge forward. Sarcophagus of the Spouses, housed at the National Etruscan Museum of Villa Giulia in Rome

62 63 IVREA 2007

“Search Me”: a film to promote the culture of scientific research among young people A digital animation film from Newton to Einstein

Search Me is an “infotainment” project created by Moreno Gentili aimed at the young researchers of Italian universities in order to impart the value of scientific culture. The journey examines illustrious figures like Einstein, Newton and other scientists, taking an in-depth look at the basic questions of existence, looking beyond certainties, experimenting the unseen, and sharing the results of years and years of the knowledge and progress of civil society. This is the spirit of the film Search Me, a play on words in which the Bracco Group has invited thousands of young people, who often find themselves working abroad and taking their know-how out of Italy, to reflect on the values of Italian scientific culture. The film, presented in 2007 for the opening of the Bracco Research Center located in the Canavese Bioindustry Park in the presence of the then Minister of Health, Livia Turco, gathered a group of young experts on advanced cinema- tography technologies, masters of a simple and straightforward narrative style, at times adventurous, to demonstrate how science can enable the discovery and utilization of exciting and engaging technologies. With Search Me, Bracco wanted to offer young researchers the opportunity to approach the world of work and its various stages of professional experience. Among the various artistic genres supported by Bracco over the years, one in particular represents more than any other the history of the company, of the Foundation and of the family that bears its name: music. It is a passion that has grown over time and continues to do so unwaveringly. It is, therefore, a consolidated tradition rather than mere material support.

Image sequence from the animated film “Search me”

64 65 MILAN 1986 | 1998

“Musical Evenings” A family passion handed down from generation to generation

This is what gave birth to it all: starting back in 1986, a collaboration with the association “Musical Evenings,” one of the foremost in Italy and the most influ- ential for chamber music in Milan, where it was founded in 1968. Some examples? Among the musicians involved we can mention Mstislav Ros- tropovich, Nathan Milstein, Martha Argerich, Henryk Szeryng, Shlomo Mintz, Ni- kita Magaloff, Pierre Fournier, Vladimir Ašhkenazy, Itzhak Perlman, Anne Sophie Mutter, Uto Ughi, Friedrich Gulda, Sviatoslav Richter, Claudio Arrau, Vicktorija Mullova, and Lang-Lang. Among the conductors John Eliot Gardiner, Sergiu Celibidache, Claudio Ab- bado, Lorin Maazel, Myung-Whun Chung, Riccardo Muti, Kurt Masur, Wolfang Sawallisch, Riccardo Chailly, Pierre Boulez, Wolfang Sawallisch and among the orchestras the Wiener Philharmoniker, Royal Philharmonic, Philharmonia Orchestra, Gewandhaus Orchestra, Staatskapelle of Dresden and others are the proof of an affinity that has expressed itself through the sponsorship of concerts, exhibitions and publications, scholarships for young musicians and through a strong partnership with prestigious Italian institutions, among which the La Scala Theater. The value of the initiatives, the involvement of conductors and musicians from every corner of the world, and most of all, the continuity of our commitment to music over decades, have brought Bracco much recognition. One such ac- knowledgment was the Guggenheim “Impresa & Cultura” Award received in 1997 “For the systematicness, the intelligence, and the efficacy of a project that aims for the dissemination and awareness, with a special focus on the youth, of music culture.”

Clockwise: Anne-Sophie Mutter, Vladimir Ašhkenazy, Mstislav Rostropovič, Itzhak Perlman, Georges Prêtre

66 67 MILAN 2015

“Folli50.0”: a wellspring of creativity in the heart of Lambrate An artistic, cultural and social site in the Bracco Group’s former industrial facility

On the occasion of Expo Milan 2015, the Bracco Group lent its historic space in the Lambrate neighborhood of Milan to young Italian artists and foreigners. The industrial facility on via Folli, no longer operative, transformed into a place of social gathering, open to citizens, where visitors could explore expressions of free and constructive creativity. Following an initial launch during the 2015 Salone del Mobile, the initiative “Mostrami [email protected]” became a project dedicated to metropolitan creative language that then took off in the months of the Expo, providing artists a way to exhibit their own works in the visual arts as well as give performances and concerts. The partner chosen by Bracco for the project was Mostrami, a collective that is involved in promoting young contemporary art as a driver of social and cultural development. Mostrami has always aimed at attracting new audiences and institutions to the language of art and today it counts a collective of over eight hundred artists and a community of more than twenty thousand contemporary art enthusiasts. The Folli50.0 workshop was, therefore, a true artistic, cultural and social “worksite” where in addition to activities strictly exhibition-related, there were also theater performances, children’s workshops, an outdoor cinema, live music, dance evenings, and recreational and educational activities for all ages that created a lively and productive cultural mix. During its 7 months, the factory hosted 5 events, 20 partner association shows, and 4 workshops as well as 9 theater plays, 2 cinematic evenings, 11 concerts and 5 parties & DJ sets, 76 courses and workshops for children and 62 courses for adults.

Some moments from Mostrami Factory@ Folli50.0

68 69 MILAN 2015

A “Vortex” against ocean pollution The installation for “Folli 50.0” by Maria Cristina Finucci with the patronage of the Ministry of the Environment

This beautiful, contemporary work of art was also a project of a scientific nature in defense of the marine environment and to raise global public awareness. This is the essence of “The Garbage Patch State”, an “ecological” project which, after having been displayed at notable locations such as the Unesco in Paris, the Venice Biennale, the Gran Via in Madrid, the Maxxi in Rome and the UN Head- quarters in New York, landed in Milan in the artistic space “Mostrami Factory @Folli 50.0” at the request of the Bracco Foundation to stimulate Italian and international creativity during Expo 2015. The site-specific installation, inaugurated on 15 June 2015 in Bracco’s former industrial headquarters on via Folli 50 in the Lambrate neighborhood of Milan, represents a great mass that carries a myriad of plastic bottle caps enclosed in a multi-colored “Vortex” seven meters high. The artist, Maria Cristina Finucci, has for years been engaged in a creative and educational journey about one of the most significant phenomena of the planet: the tragic increase of plastic garbage scattered throughout our oceans. Diana Bracco, President of the Bracco Foundation said: “The project was a perfect fit with the artistic, cultural and social site created by our Foundation. The theme explored by Vortex – the promotion of awareness and respect towards the environment – is of great importance, one that we wanted to give voice to in the conviction that art may act as a privileged reading instrument in order to best comprehend and fully realize the global reality and all of its implications.” The work was made possible with the patronage of the Ministry of the Environ- ment.

Maria Cristina Finucci, Vortex, 2015

70 71 VENICE 2011

“Entre Siempre y Jamás” at the Venice Biennale An exhibition on Latin American culture at the 54th International Art Exposition

The Bracco Foundation, to mark the Bicentennial of Latin American Indepen- dence, sponsored the exhibit “Entre Siempre y Jamás” at the Latin American Pavilion during the 54th Biennale in Venice in 2011. For the first time, all 20 Latin American countries were represented at the Pa- vilion by way of a long journey through the subcontinent’s history of independence told from a contemporary perspective. The exhibition’s title – “Entre Siempre y Jamás” (Between always and never) – cites a poem dedicated to the Bicentenary of Latin American independence by the Uruguayan writer Mario Benedetti. The project, the result of a collaborative creative effort to which 20 Latin American and 5 European artists contributed, in fact, came about by reclaiming the concept of Independence and the sig- nificance of its sociocultural influences thanks to the artistic and conceptual language applied in the show. The Bracco Foundation has helped to realize a momentous encounter between Latin American culture, with its artistic, political and moral aspirations, and Eu- ropean culture, which has always been attentive to such aspirations. “Entre Siempre y Jamàs” also provided a chance to interact between already established artists and many young talents, among which several female figures stood out – especially Regina Galindo from Guatemala, who was con- ferred the Leone d’Oro award as best young artist at the 2008 Biennale. Support for the youth, and particularly for women, is another characteristic trait of the Bracco Foundation’s commitment.

Installations from the Latin American Pavilion, 54th Venice Biennale, 2011

72 73 MILAN 1997 | 1998

The restoration of the Guastalla Gardens A project of environmental care in a historic park in the heart of Milan

It is a small gem in the heart of Milan; a magical garden beloved by generations of the city’s inhabitants and students from the nearby University of Mi- lan. The Guastalla Gardens, among the oldest green spaces in Milan, are truly a special place which boast, in place of the original pond, a fine 17th century Baroque-style fish pond, with two terraces connected by steps and enhanced with white granite balustrades. Among the other elements we have an aedicula, also 17th century, which houses a group of multi-colored terracotta statues of the Repentant Magdalene comforted by angels, and a Neoclassical temple by Cagnola. There is a playground for children and, for dogs, two fenced‑in areas. Situated outside of the garden, at the corner of via San Barnaba and via della Commen- da, we find an exquisite Baroque fountain. In 1997, in celebration of the 70th anniversary of its founding, Bracco brought the revitalization of this green oasis to fruition, returning the entirely reconstructed Guastalla Gardens to the city. The restoration lasted about six months, bringing back the plant and tree spe- cies from the original plan of the historic gardens dating back to 1939, and also involving the precious, sacred shrine. The official inauguration of the restored Gardens took place on 9 May 1998, with a ceremony that did justice to the memory of a place dear to the Milanese, once irrigated by the waters of the Naviglio canal.

One of the statues that embellish the Guastalla Gardens, Milan

74 75 MILAN 2005 | 2017

Heal the body, nourish the mind Young artists and photographers hosted in the exhibit spaces of the Italian Diagnostics Center

The Italian Diagnostics Center is not solely a place of prevention and healthcare. Thanks to the Bracco Foundation, part of whose mission is the combination of art and science and attention to young people, the CDI facility on via Saint- Bon has become, over the years, an exposition hub for introducing and promoting promising young talents in the field of figurative art, with a dual purpose: on the one hand, concentrating on the younger generations so they may have the chance to exhibit their own works in a public space, and on the other hand, the cultural experience in care centers, which scientific evidence shows to have a positive effect on psychological well-being. Among the many talents who have shown their art, we can name Marco Anelli with the “Nella luce” (Into the light) project and Laila Pozzo and her wonderful images of “Sapere fare italiano” (Italian know-how), to which a chapter has been dedicated in this book. These same spaces have hosted images from very complex projects, starting from the show “Start Living Again,” a series of photographs taken by numerous photographers of all ages to aid research on ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclero- sis, or Lou Gehrig’s disease), to the project “Oggettivamente meglio, prendersi cura per un maggiore benessere” (Objectively better, taking care of yourself for a greater well-being) exhibited by the students of the Domus Academy of Mi- lan. Finally, “Recondite Armonie, l’arte della Bellezza” (Concealed Harmonies, the Art of Beauty), by the young artists’ collective “Mostrami” was also displayed – Alessandro Di Vicino Gaudio, Their Kiss, yet another project supported by the Bracco Foundation. acrylic on hardboard, The CDI exhibitions have frequently been accompanied by publications, in or- 2000s. Work displayed der to provide a thorough appreciation and focus on young talents who are during the exhibit “Concealed Harmonies. otherwise often disregarded in a context that is not always sensitive to the new The Art of Beauty,” generations. Italian Diagnostics Center, Milan, 16 December 2015 – 31 March 2016

76 77 GENOA, FERRARA, ROME, NAPLES, PERUGIA, MILAN 2004 | 2006

The enchantment of Science in Felice Frankel’s photographs A singular journey that goes beyond the frame to reveal life “from inside”

“As in mathematical equations and chemical structural formulas, these photographs wish to communicate ideas. They are a visual recording of physical phenomena that unveil the hours of thinking by scientists, the years of prepa- ration and a life of discovery,” writes Felice Frankel in the catalogue accompanying the exhibition “L’incanto della Scienza. Visions of Science,” presented by Bracco in Italy and the United States from 2004 to 2006. The exhibition provided its audience with an immeasurable amount of scientific information, prompting an exposition tour in various locations, including Genoa’s Festival of Science, the University of Ferrara’s School of Chemistry, the Chiostro del Bramante in Rome, the Città della Scienza in Naples, the Rocca Paolina in Perugia and the CDI in Milan, concluding with the American stops at New York University’s Casa Italiana Zerilli-Marimò, the Bakken Museum in Min- neapolis and the Italian Cultural Institute of Chicago. Diana Bracco explains in the exhibit’s catalogue: “Far from simple photographs, Felice Frankel’s work illustrates science with an imaginative eye: a unique journey that travels beyond the frame to unveil life from inside. And therein lies the correlation with our company’s mission, a world leader in imaging diagnostics: to look beyond, using cutting-edge technologies, to better understand life and improve its quality.” It was thus a mutual passion for research and innovation that brought about this fruitful encounter between Bracco and this luminary of science photography; a meeting of visions, a convergence of culture and science, a shared objective: to bring the public closer, through a new perspective, to the marvelous world of science.

Felice Frankel, Water Drops on Gold

78 79 TOKYO, SEOUL, SHANGHAI, BEIJING, NEW YORK, WASHINGTON 2007 | 2008

The triumphant tours of the La Scala Philharmonic between America and Asia A trail of emotions with Chailly, Chung and Lang Lang

The Bracco Group has often chosen music to present itself all around the world. A symbolic example is the double tour of the La Scala Philharmonic in Asia and the United States – an ideal opportunity for friendship and the promotion of our culture which took place between 2007 and 2008 thanks to two Italian greats: the Philharmonic and a philanthropically engaged entrepreneurial family. They performed in Tokyo, Seoul, Shanghai, and Beijing in Asia and New York and Washington in North America. Two long journeys, united into one path, where cultures blended together thanks precisely to the language of music and that, for La Scala, has an illustrious precedent, told by the same Maestro Chailly: “The presence in the United States is particularly meaningful in La Scala’s symphonic performance history: it was, indeed, with a legendary American tour that Toscanini in 1921 inaugurated the orchestra’s activities, which had just been refounded, making it the heart of the theater revival. [...] Toscanini had always wished for the La Scala Orches- tra to be the ambassador of Italian art, without shying away from a comparison with the great international repertoire.” It was an auspicious sign fully confirmed by the success of the La Scala performances sponsored by Bracco in the United States, which were enthusiastically attended by the then First Lady Laura Bush and the then Mayor of Milan, Letizia Moratti. Enrico Girardi, the Corriere della Sera correspondent for the event, wrote: “On the faces of everyone present there is joy; for a performance masterfully executed, for the triumphant success, for the satisfaction of having completed a historic tour, garnering acclaim from

the public and critics alike.” Maestro Myung- Whun Chung garners applause from the audience at the conclusion of the concert with the La Scala Philharmonic at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, 6 September 2008

80 81 MILAN 2006

X-rays reveal the magic of shells An amazing marriage of art, science and nature in a book presented at the Aquarium of Milan

“It is difficult for me, a photographer, to justify my role in a project where there is no photography. It is no longer there because it has surrendered itself to the transparent precision of radiography – to its ability to make clear, without me- diation, the relationship between function and beauty, between mathematics and creation,” states Donata Pizzi in the volume “Conchiglie ai raggi X” (X-rayed Shells) published by the Bracco Group with the purpose of, once again, com- bining science, art and nature – the three macro areas where its corporate social responsibility is expressed in the confluence of the duty of knowledge, the pleasure of visual observance, and the quality of the environment in which we live. Science, just as the farsightedness of those who have discerned in this project the mathematical beauty of a force discovered through technology and the in- tuition of Donata Pizzi, urges us to never stop at appearances and to go beyond to discover what remains hidden from the eyes, but not from people’s sensibility. “The shells carry traces of life that, with millions of years of wisdom, has built them,” wrote Mauro Mariani about the occasion, director of the Civic Aquarium and Hydrobiological Station of Milan, where the book was presented in 2006 to a great public reception.

Cymbiola imperialis, Lightfoot, 1786

82 83 MILAN 2010 | 2014

Excellence on display: the La Scala Theater Academy’s young talents The Italian Diagnostics Center hosts the artistic works of the La Scala pupils

Among the initiatives created as part of the partnership between the Bracco Foundation and the La Scala Theater Academy, the exhibitions held at the Ital- ian Diagnostics Center play a significant role and, over the years, have involved students from various courses, in line with the stated principles of the Bracco Foundation: a focus on the world of the youth, research and culture. The extensive spaces at the CDI, in fact, are offered as an open and easily ac- cessible area, suitable for organizing temporary art exhibitions which comple- ment the usual aims of the Italian Diagnostic Center (prevention and diagnosis) in an overarching focus on the improvement of people’s quality of life. From 12 November 2010 to 19 February 2011, the photographic exposition “The spectacle of the body” was shown in the CDI’s exhibition areas, curated by Ro- berto Mutti. From 29 May to 30 September 2012, to mark the 7th World Meeting of Families in Milan, this time it was “Family work of art – 100 linear meters x 8 set designers” on exhibit with works by students from the La Scala Theater Academy Set Designer Course. In 2013, the La Scala Theater Academy’s School of Ballet celebrated its 200- year anniversary. “A space not disconnected from history, but rather an institu- tion sensitive to the changing times and society,” writes Francesca Pedroni in the introduction of this wonderful book published to commemorate the event, titled “Birthday Album 1813 – 2013. The La Scala Theater Academy’s Ballet School” and which nicely linked the photography exhibit arranged at the Italian Diagnostics Center from 4 July to 31 October 2013.

From 20 May to 31 October 2014, the photography exhibition “Let’s go to the From the book on the opera! How to build a show” was held, realized by the Bracco Foundation in photograph exhibition cooperation with the La Scala Theater Academy. The exhibit made it possible “Let’s go to the opera!”, 2014: a detail of the for the public to become familiar with this world behind the scenes, which works staging of Wolgang incessantly until it can recreate, on stage for every performance, the magic of Amadeus Mozart’s Ascanio in Alba, the theater. performed at the La Scala Theater in 2006

84 85 CESANO MADERNO 1995 | 1996

The Exedra of Palazzo Arese Borromeo in Cesano Maderno A fascinating restoration

Commissioned by Giulio Arese in 1626 and completed by his son Bartolomeo in 1640, the Palazzo Arese Borromeo in Cesano Maderno is considered one of the most important monuments in Lombardy. It is an extraordinarily construct- ed building that still today boasts, besides its perfect architectural structure, a wonderful garden. The Exedra, an ideal stage for the “story” of the Palace, is an architectural element thousands of square meters large and holds a fountain made of rare Angera stone. This space is today available to the public after a restoration with advanced techniques thanks to the sponsorship of the Bracco Group, which also has its most important facility for the production of contrast agents right in Cesano Maderno. The bond between Bracco and Cesano has remained strong over time. And in 2017, the year when the Group is celebrating the 90th anniversary of its founding, Mayor Pietro Luigi Ponti decided to name a street in honor of the Cavaliere del Lavoro Fulvio Bracco, father of Diana and pioneer of that familial capitalism that made Italy one of the most advanced countries in the world. “Cesano is especially bonded with and grateful to the Bracco Group for what the insightful activities of the top management brought about in our territory,” said Mayor Pietro Luigi Ponti on Saturday, 18 March at Palazzo Arese Borromeo. “Activities not limited to the cultural field, like the restoration of Palazzo Borro- meo-Arese, but also in the social sphere with, for example, the support provided for the Psycho-Pedagogy Centre of via Misurina, demonstrating an attentive and sensitive response to the community’s needs.”

View of the Palazzo Arese Borromeo from the Exedra

86 87 MILAN 2015 SPILIMBERGO 2016

“The rule of talent”. An exhibit on Italian know‑how A photography project that promotes young Italian craftsmanship

In the photographic exhibition displayed first at the CDI in Milan (26 May – 31 October 2015), subsequently in Friuli in Spilimbergo (18 March – 1 May 2016) and realized with the Cologni Foundation of Craftsmanship, the Bracco Foun- dation helped to give voice, through Laila Pozzo’s images, to the most prestigious schools of arts and high craftsmanship still doing this invaluable work of updating between tradition and innovation: a patient exercise to avoid losing the precious teachings of our artisans – today an Italian “brand” in all respects. “Training and supporting the new generations of artisans means promoting and protecting the great Italian tradition of culture, beauty and know-how; an

imperative, and vital now more than ever, also for our economic and manufac- Above on the left. Detail turing system,” read a statement from the Bracco Foundation. of ceramic making at Among the schools photographed were the Spilimbergo School of Mosa- the “Gaetano Ballardini” Institute of Ceramic ics in Friuli, the Murano Glass School, the Faenza and Caltagirone Ceramics Arts, Faenza (Ravenna) School, the Goldsmith School of Padua, the Marcianise Clockmaking School, Above on the right. Detail of restoration the School of Metal Engraving in Rome, the Leatherworking School in Scan- work on a manuscript dicci, the Shoemaking School in Vigonza (PD), the School of Tailoring in Penne at the School of (PE), the La Scala Theater Stage Professions School in Milan, the Violin Making Higher Learning, Central Institute for School in Cremona, and finallyFood and Winemaking in the Alma di Colorno the Restoration and school in the province of Parma. It was an intriguing journey inside excellent Conservation of Archival Italian craftsmanship. and Book Patrimony, Rome Below on the left. Detail of work on coins at the School of Medal Making, State Mint and Polygraphic Institute, Rome Below on the right. Detail of a phase of leather working at the High Institute of Italian Leather Working, Scandicci (Florence)

88 89 MILAN 2015 | 2016 | 2017 PAVIA 2016 LUBLIN (POLAND) 2016 GENOA 2016 “Cinderella” and the enchantment of the ballet The Bracco Foundation fosters young creativity

A new production of a famous title that belongs to the dance repertoire, Cin- derella, with music by Sergej Prokof ’ev and choreography entrusted to the La Scala Theater Academy School of Ballet Director, Frédéric Olivieri, was brought to fruition by the Bracco Foundation in 2015, the year of the Milan Expo, in the spirit of the Nursery and young creativity. The set was designed by Angelo Sala and the principal dancers’ costumes were designed by Maria Chiara Donato. Over 60 young people were called upon to perform – many current and former students of the Academy, from tailors to set designers, from wig makers to make-up artists and hairstylists, to photographers. More than 100 students from the school took part on stage. The main roles were assigned to pupils from the 6th to 8th courses (between 16 and 18 years old). This ballet was created in 2015 for Milan, for the Strehler Theater (29 April – 3 May) and subsequently traveled, always enjoying great success, to the Fraschi- ni Theater in Pavia (12 April 2016), the Lublin Theater in Poland (7 May 2016), and the Carlo Felice Theater in Genoa (11-13 November 2016), finally returning to Milan in December of 2016 and for its finale at the La Scala Theater on 22 April 2017. It is a ballet that will continue to grace Italian stages for years to come. “This new production of the Cinderella ballet, realized by the Bracco Founda- tion with the La Scala Theater Academy during the time of the Expo is meant precisely to accentuate the best of Italy: tradition and innovation, creativity and pride,” stated Diana Bracco, President of the Bracco Foundation. “From young make-up artists to stage technicians, from ballerinas to set designers, together with the Academy we want to shine the spotlight on the great Italian traditions of music, art and high craftsmanship: true excellences of Italian know-how.”

Students of La Scala Theater School of Ballet performing Cinderella

90 91 UDINE, MILAN 1999 | 2002

“Logbook”: Torviscosa’s rebirth A photography book by Moreno Gentili documents, step by step, one of the greatest Italian industrial archeology projects

The recovery of an industrial archeological area of rare beauty from the early 1900s, the rediscovery of a territory for environmental and manufacturing pur- poses, a video and photography documentation project on the birth of a technologically cutting-edge factory: all of this is part of the impressive restoration of Torviscosa, carried out by the Bracco Group from 1999-2002 and recounted in the book “Diario di bordo” (Logbook). A volume that records this momentous endeavor, it also became an exhibit held at the Castle of Udine and at Assolom- barda, the Milanese industrial association. The Torviscosa buildings in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, restored by Bracco, have a long history behind them. They were commissioned in the 1930’s by the then President of SNIA Viscosa, Cavaliere del Lavoro Franco Marinotti. The urbanistic project, entrusted to the noted architect Giuseppe De Min, included beautification of the swamps to allow for not only a factory but an entire workers’ village that envisioned large spaces for sports, theater, recreational activities and the social life of the workers. Towards the end of the 1990’s, the Bracco Group selected this area to create a new and modern facility, able to supply markets. The technical goal of the project was to reconstruct the buildings from the inside, without altering the historically valuable external architecture. And so Spin was born – a company controlled by Bracco that boasts, in addition to a production plant, a new research laboratory. It should be noted that in 2017 the Bracco Foundation sponsored the restoration of the two Leone Lodi statues located in front of the Torviscosa factory, dedicated to agriculture (The continuity of ancestry in labour) and to industry (The Synthesis of Strength, Reason and Faith) and which are included in the book “Le creature di pietra di Leone Lodi – Viaggio nell’Italia della scultura” (The stone creatures of Leone Lodi – A journey through Italian sculpture), pub- The historical plant’s towers in Torviscosa, in lished in November. the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region

92 93 TORVISCOSA 2016

Remembering a great factory-town The exhibit “Labor Omnia Vincit” and a concert celebrate the digitization of the SNIA photography archive from Torviscosa

“Through the digitization of the SNIA Viscosa Historical Archive, we wanted to help keep alive the story of a place where the lives of people in the community and the life of the industry had always been inseparable,” stated Diana Bracco. “For us, then, it was a way to strengthen the rapport with the local community, which we care greatly for, by creating an important production site for contrast agents.” Today, thanks to the recording of the SNIA Archives, we may study how the industrial habitat of this site evolved and how it was able to be restored through the cleaning up, by large entities, of the environmental damage caused by past management. The digital documents are now available to all online. A large number of them were on display in the exhibition “Labor Omnia Vincit” held in the CDI spaces at Torviscosa from 30 April to 2 October 2016. All of the material was separated into three main categories. The first is titled “Torre di Zuino, la bonifica idraulica e i lavori agricoli” (Zuino Tower, the hydraulic clean-up and the land works), the second segment deals with “La grande costruzione” (The great construction), and the third part recounts “La nascita di Torviscosa” (The birth of Torviscosa) operating as a company-town. In order to commemorate the close of this project, the Bracco Foundation, Spin and the City of Torviscosa organized a beautiful concert by the La Scala Theater Academy Orchestra conducted by Pietro Mianiti, open to all citizens. The concert, held on 15 July 2016 and attended by over one thousand people who crowded into the space in front of the Bracco factory, paid homage to the most illustrious Italian composers: Verdi, Bellini, Rossini, Puccini and Mascagni from which Symphonies and Intermezzos were performed from the most celebrated operas including Norma, The Barber of Seville, I vespri siciliani, Manon Panoramic view of the Lescaut, Cavalleria rusticana, Nabucco and others. SNIA facility (today Spin), 1940s

94 95 MILAN 1990 | 2000

From Scopinich to Sandri, at the side of contemporary art Numerous exhibitions dedicated to Italian 20th century painting

As with music, the Bracco family has also been consistently involved in the field of painting, not only with great classic artists like Giorgione, Bellini, Fra Car- nevale, and Canaletto, but also with those Italian modern and contemporary masters so appreciated by the public. There have, indeed, been many exhibitions and publications sponsored: Gino Viviani, Ugo Nespolo, Gino Meloni, Luigi Scopinich, Gino Sandri, Angiolo D’Andrea and many other painters have been supported with passion and determination, at times safeguarding even the in- tegrity of the work as in the case of D’Andrea, to whom we devote a chapter in this book, precisely due to the particularity of the quite human occurrence that tied Elio Bracco, the company’s founder, to the Friulian painter. Among the artists cherished and supported over the years, an exhibit was dedicated to Gino Meloni at the Press Circle of Milan in 2000 as well as an extraordinary one to Ugo Nespolo at the Royal Palace in Milan in 1990. A last noteworthy project deserves mentioning: the “rediscovery” of a great artist like Gino Sandri, the Italian “Van Gogh.” The City Council of Ceriano Laghet- to, a town at Milan’s doorstep, dedicated the first complete monograph to this brilliant and unlucky painter. The Bracco Group, which founded an important production plant with its subsidiary Dibra Spa right in Ceriano, decided to enthusiastically support this initiative, once more attesting to its commitment to the cultural life of the territories where it operates.

Some covers of books from the exhibitions that Bracco has supported over the years

96 97 MILAN 2012 | 2013 PORDENONE 2014

Angiolo D’Andrea: a master between Symbolism and the 20th Century The Friulian painter’s works “saved” by a patron friend, Elio Bracco

The painter Angiolo D’Andrea, Friulian by birth but Milanese by choice, was revealed to the public as a master of Symbolism. He was a long ignored artist despite his undoubtedly valuable artistic career: in the early 1900s he exhibited at Brera, the Pesaro Gallery in Milan and eventually at the Venice Biennale in addition to having decorated unique places in the Lombard capital, such as the Camparino Café in the Vittorio Emanuele Gallery (he created the mosaic de- signs), the Palazzo Berri-Meregalli on via Cappuccini and the Salone dei Bene- fattori (Benefactors’ Hall) in the new Maggiore Hospital of Niguarda. The painter’s relationship with the Bracco family began with the insight of Elio Bracco, the founder of the industrial dynasty who, in 1942 following Angiolo D’Andrea’s death saved all of his works. In a letter from Elio Bracco to the family, he recounted how he had arrived at this choice, courageous at the time because it was the period when Italy was mired in the war. “All the paintings of the poor Angelo D’Andrea were rescued and remain in my possession. I pledge to organize a posthumous exhibition in Milan next year, once I have completed a general catalogue of all of his works.” The founder’s intention was realized only seventy years later with Diana Brac- co’s strong wish to see this monographic exhibition brought to fruition, coinciding with the 85th anniversary of the company’s incorporation. Angiolo D’Andrea’s works, first shown at Palazzo Morando in Milan from 8 No- vember 2012 to 17 February 2013 and then from 10 April to 21 September 2014 at the “Armando Pizzinato” Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Porde- none in honor of the painter’s Friulian roots, revealed a genuine artistic talent and a history of corporate patronage that has existed throughout generations of the Bracco family. Angiolo D’Andrea, Full of Grace, oil on canvas, 1920-1921, Milan (Bracco Family Collection), exhibited at the Venice Biennale in 1922

98 99 MILAN 2012 | 2013

Puccini’s Prima Donnas From Mimì to Tosca, an unforgettable parade of stage costumes

This exhibition and publishing project that allowed us to relive the musical and operatic greatness of Giacomo Puccini, also revealed all of the tailoring skills of the young students from the La Scala Theater Academy. The exhibit, sponsored by the Bracco Foundation and shown at the Italian Di- agnostics Center from 17 December 2012 to 31 March 2013, had the students from the Tailoring, Set Design and Makeup course at the La Scala Academy as its protagonists, who amazed the public with their artistry and training. Through the exposition of faithfully reproduced garments, evocative moments from 19th and 20th century Italian opera were revived, thanks to the ability of these tal- ented students who learned the secrets of sets and costumes at the La Scala school. “Madame Butterfly, Turandot, Manon, Mimì, Musetta, Tosca... Puccini’s women form a mosaic of unforgettable female figures that likely have no equals in the history of opera. Central characters in each of his works, the Puccini ladies are full of fascination, seduction and passion. They are multi-faceted, complex, at times tortured,” writes Diana Bracco in the catalogue’s introduction. The exhibition is the outcome of a project that, for one year under the guid- ance of Maria Chiara Donato, involved over 40 students from various Academy courses, originating from Italy and abroad: the tailors, who worked off of the drawings from the first productions, the students from the course on special effects for mannequin production, stage photographers for backstage images and scenographers, who conceived new costumes for several Puccini heroines.

Image of Musetta (La bohème) with its color swatches

100 101 MILAN 2017

“The Beauty of Imaging” at the Milan Triennale Museum An exhibit reveals the importance of imaging diagnostics

Imaging Diagnostics could well be considered one of the ten most important discoveries in the history of medicine. In this innovative show, brought about by the same creative team that designed the Italian Pavilion at Expo Milan 2015 (artistic direction by Marco Balich, scenography by the Giò Forma studio, Mauro Belloni, head of content) at the Triennale Museum in Milan from 30 May to 3 July 2017, the secrets of imaging were engagingly and innovatively unveiled. The exposition, a fruitful combination of visual arts and immersive technologies, invited the visitor to freely move about, engaging him from various angles – for example, a table that gives the idea of an experimental “open lab” on which one can set diagnostic tools, books, images and instruments – in order to stimulate examination of the applications of diagnostics in a kind of multi-sen- sory sharing. The star of the show, in the classic style of Marco Balich and his team, is the desire to amaze without sacrificing precise and spectacular storytelling. Among the creations in the exhibition are two significant anthropomorphic installations, which represent man and woman as the center of human beings in the uni- verse, a gigantic Riace Bronze sculpture made up of hundreds of overlapping images that perfectly depict the motto “Mens sana in corpore sano”, (a healthy mind in a healthy body), and a spectacular video that accompanies the visitor on a journey through the inner human body. Here the organs, vascular struc- tures and neural networks reveal themselves in all of their beauty thanks to en- hancers. The journey ends in molecular imaging, harmonic imaging (insonation) and predictive medicine (machine learning, artificial intelligence) as a positive and optimistic message for the future of genetics and of medicine.

Radiographs artistically reinterpreted

102 103 MILAN 2017

30 years of “Poesia” The anniversary of the magazine that disseminates poetry throughout the world

For thirty years now the magazine “Poesia” has been one of the most noteworthy publications on the international literary scene. Founded by Nicola Crocetti, now responsible for poetry collections for the Corriere della Sera newspaper, it has brought Italian poiesis to the world and vice versa. The magazine has become a point of reference, which, in addition to being present in the best universities and libraries all around the world, has had, and still has Nobel Laureates in Literature on its Editorial Committee: Joseph Brodsky, Derek Walcott, Seamus Heaney, Odisseas Elitis, Czeslaw Milosz and Tomas Tranströmer, as well as world-acclaimed poets, among whom Yves Bon- nefoy, Tony Harrison, Charles Wright and many others. In the 320 issues re- leased to date, more than 3,300 poets have been published along with 35,000 poems in 38 different languages with a broad distribution to newsstands which reaches 35,000 readers. Poesia’s widespread culture has generated a nonprofit, national cultural foundation called the Italian Poetry Foundation, which has been involved for many years in the dissemination of culture in general and, more specifically, of poetry. The Bracco family, whose story is intertwined with poetry thanks to the works by Gemma Bracco, an author who has had several books published by prestigious houses such as Mondadori, decided to support the celebration of these momentous thirty years for Italian and global culture in 2017. Angiolo D’Andrea’s Maternity, oil on wood, 1910s/1920s, Milan, Bracco Family Collection. The painting appeared on the back cover of the Poesia magazine to celebrate the Bracco Group’s 90th anniversary and the thirtieth year of the magazine’s founding by Nicola Crocetti

104 105 MILAN 2017 | 2018

A journey “Inside Caravaggio” An exhibition on the mysteries and the technique of the great master

The exhibit on Caravaggio reveals many unknown and unexpected details, writes the curator Rossella Vodret, former Superintendent for the Polo Museale in Rome, who for years together with her team of experts has been researching this restless figure about whom there is still much to be discovered. In the exhibit held at the Royal Palace, in collaboration with the City of Milan from 29 September 2017 to 28 January 2018, a series of paintings illustrate the technical and executional methods of Caravaggio as well as their evolution over time. Next to these examples of a pivotal age in the great history of Italian painting, the most significant diagnostic images from the most recent analyses are displayed – in particular utilizing radiography, macrophotographs, and reflectog- raphy. A scientific study made possible by Bracco involved, in addition to the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Activities and Tourism, prestigious research and restoration centers which offered highly valuable diagnostic and documentary research. The most relevant documents on the painter’s artistic and life events were also displayed. Among Caravaggio’s works on display are the titles: Saint Francis in Meditation from the Civic Museum in Cremona, Boy Bitten by a Lizard from the Longhi Foundation in Florence, John the Baptist from the National Gallery of Ancient Art, Palazzo Corsini in Rome, The Fortune Teller from the Capitoline Museums in Rome, Rest on the Flight into Egypt from the Doria Pamphilj Gallery in Rome, Salome with the Head of John the Baptist from the National Gallery in London, Saint Francis of Assisi in Ecstasy from the Hartford Museum in the USA, Holy Family from the Metropolitan Museum of New York, and finally, Martha and Michelangelo Merisi Mary Magdalene from the Detroit Institute of Arts. da Caravaggio, The Fortune Teller, oil on canvas, 1597 (Capitoline Museums – Capitoline Picture Gallery, Rome.)

106 107 The Bracco Foundation The Bracco Group A culture of values and responsible commitment

The Bracco Foundation is the expression of a patrimony of The main areas of focus in the field ofart and culture are The Bracco Group is a multinational operating in the sector medical and regulatory departments, whose operations are values that have been formed throughout 90 years of the chosen with specific scientific content – technological and of life sciences and a world leader in diagnostic imaging. located in Milan (Italy), Konstanz (Germany), Paris (France), Bracco family and Group, especially regarding corporate social educational: for example, diagnostics applied to the study and Founded in 1927, today it has a consolidated turnover of Monroe and Long Island (United States), Montreal (Canada), responsibility, with the aim of creating and promoting forms recovery of artistic works in the field of figurative arts, or the around 1.3 billion euros, 87% of which from foreign markets Mexico City (Mexico), São Paulo (Brazil), Beijing (China), and of culture, art, and science as ways of improving quality of life relationship between culture and well-being, etc. A special and it employs about 3,450 people. The Group invests around Tokyo (Japan). Thanks to continuous investment in operating and social cohesion. focus is reserved for music culture through the support of 10% of its annual turnover in R&D, in the areas of diagnostic processes, Bracco Imaging has reached levels of excellence prestigious musical institutions in Italy and abroad. imaging and advanced medical devices - boasting a portfolio in quality, in full compliance with all applicable regulations in Aims of over 1,800 patents. the countries where it operates while paying careful attention The Foundation promotes Italy’s cultural, historical and In the field of science, the Foundation focuses on the Bracco Imaging S.p.A. is the lead company in the Group’s to ecologically sustainable production. The manufacturing artistic heritage both nationally and globally, encourages biomedical sciences with the aim of helping to improve the core business of diagnostic imaging where Bracco, thanks to operations of Bracco Imaging are located in Italy (Ceriano environmental awareness, promotes scientific research and quality of life through innovative approaches and solutions. an extensive and innovative product and solution portfolio, Laghetto, Torviscosa and Colleretto Giacosa), Canada safeguards health, supports education and professional A particular emphasis is placed on diagnostics and prevention, the fruit of in-house research, boasts a leading position at a (Montreal), Switzerland (Geneva), Germany (Singen), Japan training for young people, and develops solidarity initiatives to personalized medicine, and the study of interrelationships global level. (Saitama) and China (Shanghai). contribute to the collective well-being. between health and sociocultural issues. The Group’s main products are contrast agents: medical In the diagnostic imaging sector, Bracco’s range of products is substances used to improve the diagnostic accuracy of completed by the American company Acist, with a number of Activities In the social sphere, active initiatives are supported which, biomedical imaging and the care of patients affected by advanced medical devices and systems for the administration The Foundation develops and creates projects, within Italy in addition to a philanthropic benefit, bring an added diseases of varying type and severity. Contrast agents of diagnostic liquids for use in cardiology and radiology. The and abroad, in the two macro areas of “art and culture” value to communities in terms of know-how and scientific are utilized in all diagnostic imaging modalities, such as business, acquired by Bracco in 2001, has its headquarters and “science and culture,” with an emphasis on research contributions. The project “ProgettoDiventerò - the Bracco radiographic procedures, including computed tomography and a state-of-the-art research and production center in and innovation. Special attention is paid to the world of Foundation for young people”, is an initiative established (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), ultrasound and Minneapolis (Minnesota, USA), and is present in Europe and women and young people in various aspects of their lives. a few years ago dedicated to students and young new nuclear medicine. Asia with two regional offices. Its injectors are used in more A multidisciplinary approach and the integration of various graduates in order to facilitate the passage from an academic Bracco’s contrast media are sold in over 100 countries, both than 70 countries in the most advanced medical centers, while forms of knowledge are important qualitative criteria both in atmosphere to a work environment, thanks in part to a directly and indirectly through branches, joint ventures, and 15 million people have already undergone cardiovascular the planning and selection of activities. “mentorship” program. licensing and distribution agreements. Due to the quality and angiographic procedures using Acist systems. reliability of its products, the Group holds leading positions Another important area of activity for the Bracco Group is Through our participation in business foundation associations in the most important geographical regions, such as North the healthcare services provided through the CDI - Italian and round tables in this sector, we also promote business America, Europe and Japan. Diagnostics Center. culture. Research and Development activities are carried out in In all areas where it is active, whether the activities are directly our laboratories in Geneva and Lausanne (Switzerland), related to business or not, Bracco has always been a socially Monroe and Silicon Valley (United States) and Italy (Colleretto responsible company, in its strong commitment to social Giacosa). Every research center boasts experience and and educational matters, in defense of the environment, specialized expertise at the absolute cutting-edge of various in its support of culture and in the promotion of equal imaging modalities and operates in cooperation with the opportunities. www.fondazionebracco.com

108 109 CDI - Italian Diagnostics Center Over 40 years in the service of health

The Italian Diagnostics Center, operating in Milan since 1975, Diagnostic Imaging and Nuclear Medicine offer the most Photo Credits is a full-service outpatient healthcare facility specializing advanced and innovative instruments: 64-slice Dual Source Lorenzo Altieri: p. 21 Archivio Fondazione Bracco, Milano: pp. 31, 33 bottom r, 49, 53 in prevention, diagnosis and treatment as a day hospital. CAT, CAT / PET, and 4 Magnetic Resonance machines (2 of Archivio Storico Bracco, Milano: pp. 11, 13, 61, 67 bottom, 87 It is active in the Lombardy region through a network of 24 which open) for a total of over 190,000 exams performed Gianluca Baronchelli: p. 51 centers, located in Milan, Corsico, Rho, Legnano, Cernusco sul annually. Always in search of clinical excellence, in accordance Biblioteca Reale, Torino: p. 41 Luca Binetti: pp. 69, 71 Naviglio, Corteolona, Pavia and Varese. It is ISO9000 certified with its mission, the CDI today boasts two Cyberknife Marco Brescia/Teatro alla Scala: p. 85 and, since 2006, the main clinic has been accredited by the machines, the revolutionary radiosurgical robot, which places Domenico Cicchetto: pp. 75, 97 Joint Commission International. the Italian Diagnostics Center at the forefront of treatment for CINECA, Casalecchio di Reno (Bologna): p. 63 Clive Barda/ArenaPAL/ALINARI: p. 67 top r tumors. Comune di Cremona: p. 39 More than 1,000 personnel work at the CDI, including Comune di Torviscosa (Udine), Archivio storico SNIA: p. 95 doctors, specialists, healthcare technicians, nurses and other Currently, there are 50 services covering numerous areas of Alessandro Di Vicino Gaudio: p. 77 Felice Frankel: p. 79 employees, assisting 800,000 patients a year. therapy that, due to the high professionalism of its medics, Moreno Gentili: pp. 17, 65, 93 The CDI center is accredited by the SSN (Italian national the CDI offers for prevention, diagnosis and treatment, for a Mike Goldwater: p. 37 health system) for its laboratories, imaging, nuclear medicine total of more than 450,000 annual visits. Among these are: Enzo Laiacona: p. 33 l and top r Silvia Lelli: p. 15 (for kindly granting permission of use and radiotherapy, and outpatient specialized services (Viale the CDI-Check – a personalized check-up, performed under www.riccardomutimusic.com), 81 Monza, Rho and Cernusco sul Naviglio facilities). It has a the care of an in-house Specialist Coordinator; Day Surgery Lelli & Masotti: p. 23 private service area, in cooperation with major healthcare - surgical operations that allow the patient to return to their Daniele Leoni: p. 57 Malcangi/Museo Poldi Pezzoli, Milano: p. 19 insurance providers as well as an area dedicated to home the same day of the operation; the Consultancy Center Andrea Martiradonna: p. 27 companies. for Oncological Anatomical Pathology - a true point of The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: p. 47 reference for second opinions regarding cancer diseases. Musei Capitolini - Pinacoteca Capitolina, Roma: p. 107 National Gallery of Art, Washington: pp. 29 (gift by Mrs. Barbara The CDI laboratory utilizes the largest automated chain in Hutton), 43 (Widener Collection) Italy, ensuring data security and, at the same time, a large And finally, the area reserved for companies: the CDI, through Adele Neotti: pp. 25, 101 (together with students from the number of analyses, which surpass 4 million annually. a technologically and scientifically advanced healthcare Stage Photography course at the La Scala Theater Academy, led by Filippo Toppi) facility, is able to provide not only a service that satisfies all Palazzo Serbelloni, Milano: p. 55 occupational health regulations required by law but also a Elisabetta Patti: p. 59 monitoring of the work environment and prevention programs Donata Pizzi: p. 83 Laila Pozzo: p. 89 to 3,650 business clients. Giovanni Ricci-Novara: p. 9 Alessia Santambrogio: p. 91 Jonathan Timmes: p. 45 Ullstein Bild-Breuel Bild/ALINARI: p. 67 top l Paolo Vandrash: pp. 99, 105 Federico Vespignani: p. 35 Giorgio Zucchiatti/La Biennale di Venezia, Fototeca/ASAC: p. 73

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110 Bracco Foundation +39 02 2177 2929 [email protected] www.fondazionebracco.com