Maria Rita Cerilli, Peggy Guggenheim Collection's Communications Head, Dies at 2026

Maria Rita Cerilli, the head of the communications department at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, has died after a year and a half of illness. She was originally from La Spezia and began her career at the museum in 2007 as an intern. In 2022, she was appointed to lead the department. Colleagues remember her as someone who approached everything with the utmost seriousness while maintaining a lightness of smile. They highlight her ability to redefine processes and build a cohesive and authoritative department with an eye to the future. Cerilli transformed museum communication into a bridge between the institution, the artworks, and the public. She was a pioneer of digital communication, launching the museum's first Facebook and Instagram channels and supporting innovative projects such as the podcast "Volevo essere libera" with Chora Media, which told Peggy Guggenheim's story in a contemporary language. Throughout her illness, she remained a generous mentor to young colleagues, imparting not only skills but a working method based on respect and attention to detail. The Guggenheim colleagues concluded: "She taught that telling a museum's story means deeply understanding its identity and sharing it with authenticity, without ever falling into the banal." Her death marks the loss of a key figure in the museum's communication and digital strategy.