Vatican Museums

On Thursday 20 April, nine months after the sudden and untimely passing of the art historian Guido Cornini, the Vatican Museums wish to honour his memory with a Study Day dedicated to him both as an intellectual figure and in his dual role as Director of the Department of the Arts and Curator of the XV – XVI Century art Section.

A refined, competent and courteous scholar, a witty and generous man, a passionate admirer of the arts, music and travel, Guido Cornini (1957-2022) travelled the length and breadth of the Pope’s Museums for thirty-five years, contributing with his intelligence and extraordinary humanity to the growth of the prestigious cultural institution.

Many colleagues and former colleagues of the Museums had the good fortune to work with him, or more simply to share with him a part of their professional life, and on Thursday 20 April they, with their testimonies, will inspire a day that aims to be a moment of reflection and study on some themes on which Guido was a key expert.
Indeed, he experienced the Vatican collections in a transversal way, within or at the helm of various Departments, thus having the opportunity to engage with aspects and scientific issues ranging from archaeology to medieval and modern art, from contemporary art to the decorative arts, from museography to restoration and conservation.
This Study Day, then, is intended to pay homage to the versatility of this figure through a series of interventions – all more or less directly connected to him – that range from antiquarian art to icons, from the beloved Botticelli to medieval painting, from the management of a photographic archive to historical photography, from sculpture to mosaics, up to tapestries or the great restoration projects that have marked the life of the Vatican Museums in recent decades.