1959: The Year André Malraux Founded France's Culture Ministry and the Bugatti-Segantini Prize Was Born

The year 1959 saw the creation of France's Ministry of Culture by writer and politician André Malraux, appointed by General de Gaulle. Malraux served as Minister of State for Cultural Affairs for a decade. To mark the 60th anniversary, Artcurial will auction 100 items from his collection on June 19, including works by Braque, Miró, and Picasso. Also in 1959, the Premio Internazionale Bice Bugatti-Giovanni Segantini was established in Nova Milanese, initiated by painter Vittorio Viviani and mayor Carlo Fedeli. The prize, dedicated to Bice Bugatti, companion of Giovanni Segantini, originally targeted artists under 35. For its 60th anniversary, Giovanni Segantini's painting 'La Falconiera' (portraying Bice Bugatti) will be exhibited at Villa Brivio from June 8 to October 14, on loan from the Musei civici di Pavia. Additionally, Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa's novel 'Il Gattopardo' won the Premio Strega in 1959; the Società Dante Alighieri held a tribute on May 27, 2019, at Palazzo Firenze in Rome. The novel was adapted into a 1963 film by Luchino Visconti, starring Burt Lancaster, Claudia Cardinale, and Alain Delon, which recently received a Palme d'Or career award at Cannes.