L'Italo-Americano

L'Italo-Americano THURSDAY, JANUARY 26, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 8 W hether talking about Etruscan funerary art or the Italian Renaissance, El Greco or Paul Klee, art historian Rebecca Albiani focuses her attention on the intersection between history and art. Her sell-out lectures are lively and informative, offering a snappy combo of facts and witty observations that delight her audiences. On occasion, she even wears period clothing to match her lecture topic for a more complete sensory experi- ence. For two decades Albiani has given art lectures in the Puget Sound area, including a popular 10-part series sponsored by the Frye Art Museum. She also lec- tures regularly at the Women's University Club, Vashon Island Arts and the Creative Retirement Institute at Edmonds Community College, among other spots. We interviewed Albiani recently after she wowed an enthusiastic crowd of 150 people at a holiday lecture exploring the complicated friendship between the Pre-Raphaelites and Charles Dickens, author of "The Christmas Carol." Was a career in art on your radar when you were growing up? I did not start college with the idea I would have a career in art history, but I knew I wanted to do something with Italian. My father's family is from Massarosa, near Viareggio in the province of Lucca. When I was in high school, I took some Italian classes at the Italian Cultural Society in Sacramento and joined the Tuscany Club there. My father is very proud of his heritage. If he heard Italian being spoken, even at McDonalds, he had no inhibitions about going up to total strangers and speaking to them. As a kid, I thought that was so amazing. It was like he had super powers. Besides your family her- itage, what else sparked your interest in Italy? When I was seven, we went to Europe for six weeks. My father was a wood shop teacher so he had the summers off. We first visited my maternal grandfather who lived in Scotland, and then we piled into his VW bus and drove all over Europe. We visit- ed Belgium, Luxembourg, France and Italy, where we stopped in Massarosa to search for family members. I assume you visited muse- ums along the way. Yes, many. We went to the Louvre, Rijksmuseum, Uffizi, the Vatican Museums. I was something of a precocious reader and for whatever reason, I had my heart set on seeing the Mona Lisa. I was heartbroken when we went to the Louvre and I learned the painting was out of the coun- try on loan. Also on that trip, I remember an older Italian woman berating my dad for let- ting his two young daughters look at Michelangelo's statue of David. He had to defend him- self! This trip was the first time I had ever set foot in an art muse- um. And to think that the art I saw was some of the most famous in the world. It was a real eye opener. My sister, how- ever, had a very different experi- RITA CIPALLA ence. While I was staring entranced at the Botticelli's, she was sleeping on the wooden bench in the gallery. How did you merge your interests in art and Italian? I pursued a dual major at the University of California at Berkeley where I graduated with honors. I also spent my junior year abroad in Venice, which was one of the best years of my life. It was a great cultural expe- rience, plus my Italian got so much better. I went on to earn a master's degree in art history at Stanford and entered the doctoral program there but never finished my dis- sertation. I moved to Washington, D.C., after I received a fellowship from the National Gallery of Art, where one of my duties was to give public lectures and lead tours. And I spent a second year in Venice on a Fulbright scholar- ship, researching 16 th century Venetian art. How did you end up in Seattle? I met my husband in Washington, D.C., where he was a medical student, and we moved to Seattle in 1996. At first, I was at loose ends. Then I learned that the Frye Art Museum, which was closed at the time for a major remodel, was looking for gallery guides when it reopened. It was perfect timing for me. I started as a docent and a year later was asked to give a public lecture on the Baroque era. That is not my area of expertise and I was very hesitant. Today I laugh at that memory because now I give talks on all kinds of art, from ancient Egypt to pop art. I enjoy con- necting art with the culture that produced it, regardless of what that art happens to be. It sounds as though your lecture schedule keeps you busy. I have two teenaged sons who take up much of my time, but I love what I'm doing and I enjoy getting others excited about art. Early in my career, I thought I'd be a professor, a specialist in a narrow field, publishing arti- cles that maybe 20 people would read. But as an art lecturer, I can reach thousands of people each year. It's a privilege to study and spend time with the most beauti- ful objects that humanity has produced and to share my pas- sion with the public. Lecturer Rebecca Albiani: Drawing insights into the world of art Keeping up with the art scene is part of the job for art historian Rebecca Albiani, seen here with a sculpture by Montana artist Deborah Butterfield at the Greg Kucera Gallery Rebecca Albiani is known for her lively art lectures at museums and colle- ges, including this presentation on John Singer Sargent and Venice given recently at Vashon Allied Arts. (Vashon Island Arts) SEATTLE ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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