The Italian Ambassador to the United States, Claudio Bisogniero, made a quiet visit to the Milwaukee Art Museum late Monday afternoon.
He had a private tour of the current feature exhibition Of Heaven and Earth: 500 Years of Italian Painting from Glasgow Museums, and then addressed a small gathering of museum staff and board members.
After his speech, Ambassador Bisogniero chatted with Lake Effect's Bonnie North about the importance of cultural diplomacy. Art Museum curator Tanya Paul, who was instrumental in getting the Of Heaven and Earth exhibition to Milwaukee – its only Midwestern stop, also joined the conversation.
"Frankly, we do not see culture in isolation," Ambassador Bisogniero says. "We see it as a springboard to also connect to the economic, financial, and trade dimensions of our relations with a country like the U.S."
