Portrait of Alessandro Bonsanti, 1967, Restored 2016
The ‘look of books’
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Pincherle takes a whimsical look at Bonsanti in her 1967 portrait. Alessandro Bonsanti (1904-1984) was the director of the influential Florentine library and archive, Gabinetto Vieusseux. The library, founded in the early 1800s, collected books and periodicals from across Europe and encouraged visitors from abroad to join Florentines there in conversation and the exchange of ideas. Under Bonsanti’s direction, the library expanded by adding manuscripts, private papers and private libraries from leading twentieth-century figures. This painting is part of a series of portraits of Italian writers and painters executed by Pincherle. Restored by AWA in 2016.