About the Professor

photo courtesy Kathy McCabe, www.dreamofitaly.com

Italian art historian Enrico Bruschnini was born in Rome on April 13, 1943. In 1970, he earned a university degree at the LUISS (Libera Università Internazionale per gli Studi Sociali) in Rome, Italy. In 1984, he was named official art historian of the American Embassy in Rome for his historical and artistic discoveries and subsequently was appointed Fine Art Curator until his retirement in 1998.

During historical research conducted during his tenure as Curator, he discovered among the properties of the Embassy the now famous statue of the Venus by Giambologna, evaluated by Sotheby’s of London at $18 million dollars. After its discovery, the statue was exhibited at the Capitoline Museums in Rome and at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., before moving in 1994 to its new permanent location at the foot of the Main Staircase of the American Embassy in Rome.

Professor Bruschini also researched the history of the painting of “Saint Jerome,” also a property of the Embassy. This research allowed for the temporary attribution of this canvas to the School of Caravaggio.

In 1995 he initiated the excavation of a Roman underground portico of the 2nd century A.D. in the American Embassy’s gardens. He directed the restoration of the ancient frescoes found as well as the illumination of the incredible archaeological complex on “American soil” which will be opened to the public in the near future.

In 1989, Bruschini was named the Official Guide of Rome, and was selected to unveil the art and history of the Eternal City to many illustrious American guests including Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush as well as U.S. Governors, Members of the U.S. Congress and Senate.
He has given numerous lectures in Italy and abroad on the history of Rome and on the life and masterpieces of the major Italian artists, including Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, Bernini and Borromini. These lectures were hosted by prestigious universities, American and Italian cultural organizations and private companies including, most recently:

The National Press Club (Washington, DC)
Georgetown University (Washington, DC)
The Italian Embassy (Washington, DC)
The Italian Institute of Culture (New York City)
The Academy of the Sacred Heart (New Orleans)
The America-Italy Society of the Union League (Philadelphia)
Microsoft Global Accounts Summit (Rome, Italy)

Professor Bruschini has published numerous articles including “The Venus by Giambologna” Catalog for the exhibition at the Capitoline Museum of Rome (1994) and “Palazzo Margherita: The Historical Palace of the American Embassy in Rome (1996 and 2003). In addition, he has written two widely-read books on the Vatican: “In the Footsteps of the Popes” (published in English and Bulgarian by William Morris in 2003) and “Vatican Masterpieces,” (Edizioni Musei Vaticani and Scala International, 2004. Published in English, Italian, Spanish, German and Japanese). The latter, published by the Vatican, is the first Vatican guidebook to be published with the name of the author on the cover.