Paolo Fresco Wins 2015 Palazzo Strozzi Renaissance Man Award

Paolo Fresco, former manager of General Electric and Fiat, has been named the 2015 Palazzo Strozzi Renaissance Man of the Year. The award, created by the US-based representative of Florence's Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi, honors individuals who embody universal Renaissance values linking classical Greek and Roman culture to humanism, the Enlightenment, and the present day. Fresco, who also served as president of Fiat, was instrumental in Palazzo Grassi's exhibition program before the Pinault era. His philanthropic activities span medical research, education (scholarships at Bocconi, University of Genoa, and NYU), and the arts: he sits on the board of Mus-e Italia, chairs Mus-e Firenze, and joined the Council of the Uffizi in 2015. Fresco stated that successful people have a moral responsibility to share their success with society, a principle he applied when creating the Paolo & Marlene Fresco Foundation for pro bono cultural and medical work. He hopes the 'give back' mentality, already established in the Anglo-Saxon world, will be encouraged in Italy.