NO FAN OF MUSSOLINI?











Nostalgia Toilet Water








The road to hell is paved with ironic knick-knacks - treasured by people who ought to know better.

ROSEMARIE MULCAHY























Rosemarie Mulcahy, a distinguished historian of Spanish and Italian art - and a dear friend - died on 5 September 2012. Today, marking the first anniversary, there will be a memorial celebration at 1:30 pm at Newman House, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin.

I am grateful to have seen Rosemarie barely two weeks before her stunningly unexpected death. She and her husband Seán always spent a week in August with friends at Castiglioncello, on the Tuscan coast. So I popped down for lunch, from my home in Florence. 

It was a very pleasant lunch, on a terrace overlooking the sea—but just a lunch. We were old friends who had hung out together countless times in the past and we fully expected to continue doing so in the future. Rosemarie and I talked mostly about her many plans—for publications, travel and a prestigious lecture tour in Spain.  

Now a year has passed—but can any of us believe it? I am still not ready to think of Rosemarie Mulcahy in the past tense.

ART vs. NO ART (Detroit/Florence)



14 August 2013

Bloggers around the world focus attention on  the Detroit Institute of Arts - and its current plight.

 "You can only sell a unique work of art once. Then you don't have it any more and you never will and you are poorer forever."



INK (Florence)






















VIVA FIORENZA = Long Live Florence!*

* A Pedantic Footnote: The historically accurate formula is actually "Evviva Fiorenza".


THE SHADOW...





















Ciao, tutti!

It is good to know that I have been conspicuous by my absence - or so I have heard from various friends in the blogosphere.

How long has it been since I fielded a new post? A quick glance at my Archive tells me that it was way back in December 2012. (For the record: YIKES!)

Why's that? First, I was traveling. Then, I was preparing for more travel - including a speaking tour in March (with various presentations in Detroit, Toronto, London, Ont. and Chicago).

So, my manic word-crafting and image-polishing has been focused on a brand new talk on (what else?!)



Maybe you can hear me in person ... live? Click on the above link for places and dates.

Ed G.


MICHELANGELO AND THE MEDICI



For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by the turbulent relationship between Michelangelo Buonarroti and the Medici rulers of Florence. And in a few days, I will be beginning a speaking tour on this very topic. This will take me to Detroit (9 March), Toronto (12 March), London, Ont. (13 March) and Chicago (21 March). Then later, who knows where else?! If you live in those parts of the world, it would be great to meet you! See below for the relevant times and places.