COLLECTION Identifier: BER-34

Bruno Zanardi photograph collection

Overview

The collection includes photographs, slides, negatives, and drawings documenting artworks restoration projects undertaken by Bruno Zanardi.

Dates

Creation: 1977 - 2020
Creation: 1977 - 2020

Creator

Zanardi, Bruno (Person)

Language of Materials

Collection materials are in Italian.

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Extent

1 linear feet : 36,529 slides, 7,893 photographic prints, 3,750 negatives, 292 documents, 14 posters
1 linear feet : 36,529 slides, 7,893 photographic prints, 3,750 negatives, 292 documents, 15 posters

Scope and Contents

The collection consists of approximately 36,500 slides, 7,900 photographic prints, 3,700 negatives, and 300 drawings. It documents the professional activity of Bruno Zanardi as an art conservator. Zanardi has restored some of the greatest monuments and artworks in Italy. These include among others the San Francis Basilica of Assisi, the Ara Pacis and Trajan Column reliefs, the mosaics and mural paintings of the Sancta Sanctorum chapel and the Santa Maria Maggiore basilica in Rome, Pietro da Cortona’s frescoes at Palazzo Barberini in Rome, and the Cathedral and Baptistery in Parma. The photos, slides, and negatives in the collection provide detailed documentation of the monuments and the activities undertaken during restoration.

Additional Description

Biographical / Historical

Bruno Zanardi was born in Parma and educated as an art historian and conservator in Rome (Istituto Centrale del Restauro) with Giovanni Urbani. During his career, he restored some of the greatest monuments in Italy. From 1986 to 1992 he worked on the restoration of the Parma Baptistery, while in 1992 he began the conservation of the Sancta Sanctorum, the Pope’s private chapel. During these years, he developed a strong friendship and collaboration with Federico Zeri. Both before and after the 1997 earthquake, he restored the frescoes of the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi. Zanardi has been a supporter of the precautionary approach of conservation in relation to environmental protection. He has published extensively in art conservation theory and his studies on Giotto and the Roman School of painting have opened new paths in art historical research.

Arrangement

Original arrangement by creator has been retained. The collection is organized in three series: 1. Restoration works (includes slides, photographs, negatives, and a few documents), 2. Drawings and large format materials, and 4. Posters.