I joined Friends of the Uffizi in 2012 as a member of the Advisory Board. I decided to become involved based on my opportunity and desire to support an institution of worldwide importance sited in Florence, a city that I had come to know and love.
I followed my wife, who is an artist, into visual art, beginning in the mid-70’s. Since then, we have created a collection of mostly contemporary art that is truly a source of joy. We have both been very involved with arts institutions in Cleveland and Miami, and I have had wonderful professional experiences working with artists as an attorney.
I have most enjoyed making new friends within the Friends network. Being with friends and visiting the Uffizi with its Director, Eike Schmidt, whose friendship is an extraordinary dividend yielded by my association with the Friends. I can’t get over the two Botticelli masterpieces, Primavera and Birth of Venus.
My favorite, most vivid memory of my time in Florence with the Friends was actually in the Academia, not the Uffizi, seated for dinner beside Friends President, Contessa Maria Vittoria Colonna Rimbotti, beneath the Michelangelo David. Unforgettable!
