Tuesday, April 4

Andy Warhol is famously quoted as saying "art is anything you can get away with," and 100 years earlier no one knew this better than Stefano Bardini. In 1865 Bardini brilliantly capitalized on the revitalisation of Florence as the capital of the new kingdom and the tremendous amount of art market exposure it provided by marketing 15 century Florentine style objects to newly wealthy American shoppers. The audaciously high market prices his objects commanded increased the buyers’ perception of quality, and no less, authenticity. Bardini recognized the business potential of the recently arriving Gilded Age Americans, who along with their dollars, brought a largely uneducated eye as they sought to emulate European aristocracy. His ability to provide eager customers with displays of wealth regardless of provenance initiates a conversation we continue to have today: what's the real value of authenticity?

Join Lynn Catterson, PhD, author, professor, researcher and our favorite historical sleuth, as she explores Bardini's masterful marketing style and its impact on society then and now. 

€20, ticket includes talk and aperitivo.