AlMadar Tour: The Bruschettini Foundation

Elisabetta Raffo is the Director of the Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art, based in Genoa, Italy. The foundation is renowned for its exceptional collection of Islamic and Asian art, assembled by Alessandro Bruschettini over six decades. Under her leadership, the foundation has focused on exploring the cultural and historical significance of Islamic art within a global context. 

The Bruschettini Foundation for Islamic and Asian Art was founded in Genoa in AH 1433/2012 CE as a non-profit institution. It builds upon the ideals and achievements of its founder, Alessandro Bruschettini (AH 1357-1442/1939-2021 CE), a prominent Genoese industrialist, art patron, and collector. The foundation pursues public benefit in the cultural field by promoting knowledge of Islamic and Asian art, particularly in relation to Italian and European art, emphasizing the exchanges that occurred across them. As one of Italy's major private cultural institutions dedicated to the arts of the East, it also sheds light on Islamic art in Italy, acting as a generator, catalyst, and promoter of initiatives at both museum and academic levels.

The Foundation's cultural activities include national and international exhibitions, restoration projects, research, publications, conferences, and educational activities with a principal focus on Islamic and Asian Art. Two recent initiatives include a traveling symposium aimed at contextualizing the papal vestments made of “cloth of gold" preserved in San Domenico, Perugia, within the broader artistic, historical, and cultural Eurasian scenario of the time; and the creation of “The Oriental Art Newspaper”, a new page in every issue of the Italian edition of The Art Newspaper that is dedicated to Islamic and Asian Art.

For this edition of AlMadar, the Bruschettini Foundation focuses its presentation on the era of Marco Polo, commemorating the 700th anniversary of the great Venetian traveler's death. It highlights the paths of gold established by the "Mongol network", which connected Italy and Asia during this period. These routes fostered the exchange of knowledge and maps, the adoption and adaptation of technologies, and the cultivation of trade and diplomatic gifts across the Eurasian continent.