Thursday October 3. 6:30 pm. Casa Italiana Zerilli - Marimò, 24 W 12th St, New York, NY 10011. Organized by Prof. Alison Cornish, "Dante and..." is a series of lectures that focus on Dante's relevance in today's world. In ENGLISH. Admission: free; Member seat reservation is exclusively for Casa Italiana members. General RSVP is for the general public, but does not guarantee a seat. Contact: 212-998-8739 [email protected]

A lecture by Joseph Luzzi, Bard College. How did the rediscovery of Sandro Botticelli's art, especially his blockbuster set of Dante drawings purchased in London in 1882 by the German government, contribute to the race to define "the Renaissance" in 19th-century Europe? Prof. Luzzi will begin answering this question by showing how Giorgio Vasari's critical reading of Botticelli helped banish him-and his Dante project-to oblivion for centuries. Attention will also be given to how the rise of "connoisseurs," professional authenticators of artistic provenance like Bernard Berenson, contributed to the Botticellian rebirth and, by extension, his Dante project.