Museum directors: Foreigners named

(ANSA) - Rome, August 18 - A rash of foreigners were appointed to head Italy's most prestigious museums Tuesday with the naming of German art expert Eike Schmidt to head the Uffizi Gallery, ousting longstanding director Antonio Natali, expected to cause most clamour, observers said.
    In all seven out of 20 appointments to head Italy's top public museums were garnered by foreigners including another German, Cecile Hollberg, aged 48, an art historian, who takes over running the Florence Academy Galleries, Canadian-born Briton James Bradburne, 59, to head the Brera Pinacoteca, and French art historian Sylvain Bellenger, who takes over the directorship of the Capodimonte Museum in Naples.
    The average age of the winners is 50. Out of the 20 named, 10 are men and 10 women. Four are Italians returning from abroad (Martina Bagnoli, Flaminia Gennari Santori and Paola D'Agostino from the USA and Eva Degl'Innocenti from France). As far as professional background is concerned, 14 are art historians, four are archaeologists and two are cultural managers. One was named from inside a ministry. The names: 1) BORGHESE GALLERY(Rome): Anna Coliva, 62, art historian.
    2) UFFIZI GALLERY (Florence): Eike Schmidt, 47, art historian.
    3) NAZIONAL GALLERY OF MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY ART (Rome): Cristiana Collu, 46, art historian.
    4) GALLERIE OF THE ACADEMY of Venice: Paola Marini, 63, art historian.
    5) CAPODIMONTE MUSEUM (Naples): Sylvain Bellenger, 60, art historian.
    6) BRERA PINACOTECA (Milan): James Bradburne, 59, museumologist and cultural manager.
    7) REGGIA OF CASERTA: Mauro Felicori, 63, cultural manager.
    8) FLORENCE ACADEMY GALLERY: Cecilie Hollberg, 48, historian.
    9) ESTENSE GALLERY (Modena): Martina Bagnoli, 51, art historian.
    10) NATIONAL GALLERIES OF ANCIENT ART (Rome): Flaminia Gennari Santori, 47, art historian.
    11) GALLERIA NAZIONALE DELLE MARCHE (Urbino): Peter Aufreiter, 40, art historian.
    12) GALLERIA NAZIONALE DELL'UMBRIA (Perugia): Marco Pierini, 49, art historian and philosopher.
    13) MUSEO NAZIONALE DEL BARGELLO (Florence): Paola D'Agostino, 43, art historian.
    14) MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE (Naples): Paolo Giulierini, 46, archaeologist.
    15) MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE (Reggio Calabria): Carmelo Malacrino, 44, archaeologist.
    16) MUSEO ARCHEOLOGICO NAZIONALE (Taranto): Eva Degl'Innocenti, 39, archaeologist.
    17) PARCO ARCHEOLOGICO of PAESTUM: Gabriel Zuchtriegel, 34, archaeologist.
    18) PALAZZO DUCALE of MANTUA:Peter Assmann, 61, art historian.
    19) PALAZZO REALE, GENOA: Serena Bertolucci, 48, art historian.
    20) POLO REALE of TURIN: Enrica Pagella, 58, art historian.