Alessandrojacopo Boncompagni Ludovisi, Prince and Gallerist, Dies at 53

Alessandrojacopo Boncompagni Ludovisi, a Roman prince, winemaker, and contemporary art gallerist, died at age 53 after a rapid illness. He owned the Fiorano wine estate outside Rome and was a counselor of the embassy of the Order of Malta to the Holy See. He lived in a house-museum on Piazza di Spagna, housing his family's history dating to 16th-century Rome, with ancestors including Popes Gregory XIII and Gregory XV. Alongside his uncle Alberico, he revived the Fiorano estate's wine production, creating one of Italy's first Bordeaux-style blends. Francesco Guercilena, president of the Italian Sommelier Association Lazio, praised his blend of tradition and innovation. Boncompagni Ludovisi also ran Gallerja, a contemporary art gallery near Fontanella Borghese in Rome, which exhibited works by 20th-century masters such as Maria Mulas, Turi Simeti, Jannis Kounellis, Jan Dibbets, David Nash, and Carlo Rea. He curated most shows with critic and professor Bruno Corà. His family's villa, designed in 1901 by architect Giovanni Battista Giovenale in 'barocchetto romano' style, was donated to the state in the 1970s and opened as the Museo Boncompagni Ludovisi in the 1990s, featuring Liberty, Futurist, Art Deco, and Roman modernist works, furniture, fashion, and sculptures.