Carlo Orsi Elected President of Amici di Brera

Carlo Orsi, a prominent Milanese gallerist, has been elected President of Amici di Brera Onlus, the association supporting the Brera Palace and Civic Museums since 1926. Orsi, founder of Galleria Carlo Orsi in 1986, succeeds engineer Aldo Bassetti, who served as president from 2007 and has been named honorary president. The association, which acquires artworks and funds structural interventions, recently secured Caravaggio's 'Cena in Emmaus' and restored parts of the Braidense complex. Under Orsi's leadership, priorities include cleaning and restoring sculptures in the Cortile d'Onore, such as monuments to Tommaso Grossi, Luigi Cagnola, and Gabrio Piola, following the cleaning of Canova/Righetti's Napoleon statue (funded by Bank of America) and two other statues (funded by Pirelli). A restoration of Girolamo Genga's 16th-century altarpiece 'Disputa sull'Immacolata Concezione' will begin soon. The association will expand digital offerings with four new podcasts on Giuseppe Bossi, Francesco Hayez, Fernanda Wittgens, and Vanessa Beecroft, plus a mobile app. Social initiatives include 'Per la Mente con il Colore' with Pinacoteca di Brera and Itaca Club, and a 2021 project for children at Istituto dei Tumori di Milano. Orsi emphasized Milan's need for cultural rebirth and invited broader membership.