New book on Fernanda Wittgens, first female director of Brera

A new book titled "Sono Fernanda Wittgens". Una vita per Brera, edited by Giovanna Ginex and published by Skira, sheds light on the life and work of Fernanda Wittgens (1903–1957), the first woman to direct the Pinacoteca di Brera. The volume includes texts by James M. Bradburne, Erica Bernardi, Emanuela Daffra, and an anthology of Wittgens's letters. Wittgens, a pioneering art historian, studied at the University of Milan (Statale) under Paolo d'Ancona and Lionello Venturi, graduating in 1926 with a thesis on "I libri d'arte dei pittori italiani dell'Ottocento." She fought for the recognition of Lombard art history, successfully transferring the frescoes from the Oratorio di Mocchirolo near Lentate sul Seveso to Brera, and secured Caravaggio's "Cena in Emmaus" for the museum. During World War II, she saved Brera's collection and was imprisoned at San Vittore for antifascism. She was close to the Partito d'Azione and Ferruccio Parri but refused a political role, emphasizing intellectual autonomy.