After a five-year hiatus, the Newport Symposium returns this year – not once, but twice.
The one-day “Newport ‘Piccolo Simposio’: Italian Influence in Newport” will be held on Thursday, April 3, at Rosecliff. A second 2025 Newport Symposium, “The French Influence in Newport,” will take place Nov. 6-8 at Rosecliff and Marble House.
The Elms Dining Room is lined with early 18th century Venetian paintings illustrating scenes from the history of the Corner (or Cornaro) family of Venice and from the legendary life of Roman general Scipio Africanus. Photo courtesy of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
The Breakers Great Hall is reminiscent of the open-air courtyards of palaces in Genoa and Turin that inspired the house’s design. Photo courtesy of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
“Ever since the Symposium had to be canceled in 2020 because of the COVID pandemic, we have been looking forward to bringing it back,” said Trudy Coxe, CEO and Executive Director of The Preservation Society of Newport County, which organizes and hosts the Newport Symposium. “This is a tradition that goes back more than 30 years, and we are committed to keeping it going.”
The Upper Loggia of The Breakers overlooks the Atlantic Ocean. “Loggia” is an Italian word for an arcade or porch open on only one side, a common feature of Renaissance palaces. Photo courtesy of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
“Piccolo Simposio” (Italian for “little symposium”) on April 3 will be a daylong immersion into Italian art and design in Gilded Age Newport, and their continuing influence today. From Chateau-sur-Mer to The Elms to The Breakers and beyond, the Gilded Age elite were enamored with Italian or Italian-inspired architecture, interiors, landscapes and art.
The Renaissance revival sideboard, circa 1876, in the Chateau-sur-Mer Dining Room was carved by the famed Florentine artist Luigi Frullini (1839-1897). Photo courtesy of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
A lineup of experts will examine this many-faceted topic, including:
- Keynote Speaker Nathaniel Silver, Associate Director and Chief Curator at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum.
- Catherine Hess, Former Curator of Sculpture and Decorative Arts at the Getty Museum and former Chief Curator of European Art at The Huntington Museum.
- Sarah Cartwright, Chief Curator and Ulla R. Searing Curator of Collections at The John & Mable Ringling Museum of Art.
- Charles Birnbaum, President + CEO, The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
- Remy Renzullo, Interior Decorator and Antiques Adviser.
A carved wooden panel in the Chateau-sur-Mer Library contains the name “Firenze” or Florence, the city of the artist Luigi Frullini (1839-1897) whose carvings decorate the entire room. Photo courtesy of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
“Piccolo Simposio” also will include tours of The Breakers, Chateau-sur-Mer and The Elms.
The event will be from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., followed by a reception at Rosecliff from 5:30 to 7 p.m.
Details of the November Newport Symposium will be released at a future date.
The Newport Symposium was initiated in 1993 as a forum for the study and discussion of a diverse range of arts and historical issues. The last Newport Symposium, the 27th annual, was in 2019: “Travels Across America: Art, Nature, and the Pursuit of Beauty.”
The Preservation Society of Newport County
www.newportmansions.org | @newport.mansions
The Preservation Society of Newport County, Rhode Island, is a nonprofit organization accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. It is dedicated to preserving and interpreting the area’s historic architecture, landscapes, decorative arts and social history. Its 11 historic properties – seven of them National Historic Landmarks – span more than 250 years of American architectural and social development.
All images courtesy of The Preservation Society of Newport County.
Tags: architecture, art, Artisans, Catherine Hess, Charles Birnbaum, Chateau-sur-Mer, cultural, culture, curator, decorative arts, design, events, Firenze, Florence, French, Gilded Age, interiors, Italian, Italian art, Italian Influence in Newport, landscape, Luigi Frullini, museum, Nathaniel Silver, Newport County, Piccolo Simposio, Remy Renzullo, Sarah Cartwright, symposium, The Breakers, The Elms, The French Influence in Newport, The Preservation Society of Newport, Top, Venetian paintings
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