L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, APRIL 6, 2017 www.italoamericano.org 30 L'Italo-Americano T h e s t r o n g c o n n e c t i o n existing between Rome and San Francisco is time- less, so is the quote used for the exhibition that opened at San Francisco Airport's International Terminal a few weeks ago. "All the roads lead to Rome", that had its grand opening on March 11, showcases magnifi- cent old master paintings as well as the world's largest collection of architectural models of the Grand Tour, a total of seventy- eight objects that have never been seen together on such a scale. During a conversation with the exhibition curator, Timothy O'Brien, we learned the impor- tance of the partnership between SFO and the knowledgeable, passionate collectors involved. "Architects and designers and their innate understanding of visual space and perspective make collaboration easy and enjoyable", he stated. "Their desire to share their passion through their collection inspires everybody when they produce the best possible presentation in the available space." And this was also true in a space like the S a n F r a n c i s c o I n t e r n a t i o n a l Airport. Tim, what's your connec- tion with Italy? I don't have a personal con- nection with Italy aside from my love of Western history and art. Our exhibition partners, David Weingarten and Lucia Howard, have a deep connec- tion to Italy and a great famil- iarity with the architectural his- tory of Ancient Rome. C a n y o u e x p l a i n m o r e about your job? Our job at SFO Museum is to present rotating exhibitions on a range of subjects for the 55 million visitors who use the air- port each year. Our program h u m a n i z e s t h e a i r p o r t a n d reflects San Francisco's com- mitment to art, culture, and edu- cation. By celebrating creativity as it exists in all corners of the world, we try to remind our vis- itors what connects us to one another. We consider this job an awesome privilege and respon- sibility: hopefully our visitors will make their own connec- tions to the respective subjects and will be inspired to learn more. W h e n d i d y o u h a v e t h e opportunity for the exhibit? With more than twenty sites throughout the airport and the creation of at least forty exhibi- tions each year, we are planning exhibitions at all times. The ori- gins of this one date to March 2012, when David Weingarten and Lucia Howard first reached out to propose this subject. But o n e c o u l d a r g u e t h e o r i g i n s actually date to 1998, when we first had the pleasure of exhibit- ing objects from their collec- tion. The whole planning of the exhibit took almost five years. A f t e r D a v i d W e i n g a r t e n reached out with the proposal, curators at SFO began a dia- logue about potential objects and material, the scope of the subject, and how it could be best presented within the pro- posed gallery spaces at SFO. "With the confidence from hav- ing worked with our partners on numerous occasions, and a firm belief that this proposal was an excellent fit for us, we tentative- ly scheduled the exhibition for 2015", Timothy revealed. As they drew closer to that date and ambitions for presentation grew, they rescheduled for January to August 2017 to provide the nec- essary time to produce the best possible exhibition. W h a t c a n y o u t e l l m o r e about these objects? Our exhibitions are only as g o o d a s o u r s u b j e c t a n d i t s SERENA PERFETTO "All Roads Lead to Rome"...even from San Francisco objects, and the objects are just e x t r a o r d i n a r y . D a v i d a n d Lucia's collection of architec- tural souvenirs features hun- dreds of miniature monuments and buildings, many of which we exhibited in a 2010 exhibi- tion titled Grand Miniatures t h a t p r e s e n t e d a r c h i t e c t u r a l models of recognizable monu- ments from all the destinations of the Grand Tour, that educa- tional rite of passage for many European and American elites from the 17 through the 19th centuries. The miniature monu- m e n t s a r e l a r g e l y c r a f t e d i n bronze and antique marbles. Many were made for the well- heeled tourist, while more sin- gular examples include proto- type models and presentation pieces. With David and Lucia's p r o p o s a l t o f o c u s o n R o m e exclusively, they suggested we include etchings, drawings, and several fine examples from a genre of painting with which we were completely unfamiliar, the capriccio, or the architectural fantasy. We were excited to program this exhibition for our larger galleries to accommodate t h e i r f r a m e d a r t w o r k . S e e n together, the objects and the art- work demonstrate how artists in Rome viewed their city, and h o w t h e y w i s h e d c o n v e y i t s extraordinary architectural her- itage to those who visited. "Tutte le strade portano a R o m a " , a v e r y m e a n i n g f u l title... I t c e r t a i n l y a p p e a r s m o r e beautiful when rendered—and spoken—in Italian. David first proposed that title in 2013 when discussing the exhibition but, while we always push several title ideas around during devel- opment, we never found one that worked better. We like the i n s t a n t f a m i l i a r i t y w i t h t h e phrase. It communicates the centrality of Rome as a histori- cally important political, cultur- al, and artistic center, while also referencing the city's centrality to what can arguably be called the original tourist itinerary— the Grand Tour. "All Roads Lead to Rome" is p r o m o t e d b y t h e C o n s u l a t e G e n e r a l o f I t a l y i n S a n F r a n c i s c o t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e I C A A - N o r t h e r n C a l i f o r n i a Chapter, thanks to loans from P i r a n e s e u m g a l l e r y , a n d i s sponsored by CoorItalia. The exhibition can be visited at the I n t e r n a t i o n a l T e r m i n a l (Departures – Level 3 – Pre- Security) until August 13, 2017. M o r e i n f o r m a t i o n a t h t t p : / / www.flysfo.com/museum/exhi- bitions/all-roads-lead-rome The exhibit puts together objects from David Weingarten and Lucia Howard's collection SAN FRANCISCO ITALIAN COMMUNITY

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