Renato Miracco (born 1953) is a scholar, art critic, and curator from Naples, Italy.[1] [2] He previously served as the Cultural Attaché of the Italian Embassy in Washington, and he is a former member of the Board of Guarantors for the Italian Academy at Columbia University.[3] Miracco has curated numerous important exhibitions on Italian art worldwide and has published widely.[3] From 2019 to 2024 he is serving as Guest Curator at the Phillips Collection in Washington DC, the first American Museum dedicated to modern and contemporary art. Currently, Miracco serves on the Board of IA&A (International Art & Artists Foundation) in Washington DC. Miracco was awarded the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic for Cultural Achievements in 2018.[4] Now an American citizen, Miracco continues his prolific work in curation, art criticism, and cultural diplomacy endeavors.
During his tenure as the Cultural Attaché of the Italian Embassy from 2009 to 2017, Miracco made significant contributions to cultural exchange and diplomacy through the arts, bridging Italy and the United States.[3] In 2013, he organized a series of more than 300 events to celebrate and explore the impact of Italian culture in the United States. As Attaché, Miracco supervised all of the Italian Embassy's exhibitions, organized the Italy@150 program in partnership with over 80 museums across the United States, and helped organize a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Archaeology between the governments of Italy and the United States.[5]
Miracco's influential prior positions include serving as Director of Chiara Fama for Cultural Affairs for the Italian Cultural Institute in New York (2007-2009), acting as an Advisor to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Italy, and organizing an exhibition at the Quirinale Palace in Rome for the President of Italy.[6]
Miracco has lectured at Pratt Institute and other universities and institutions across the globe[7] and has curated exhibitions at prestigious museums and collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, The Phillips Collection,[8] the National Gallery of Art, the Morgan Library and Museum, the Estorick Collection, and the Tate Modern.[6]
Miracco's notable curated exhibitions include "An Italian Impressionist in Paris: Guiseppe de Nittis" at the Phillips Collection, which was declared among the 10 best exhibitions in 2023 by the Washington Post.[9] Since 2018, he has been the Curator of the Pinacoteca De Nittis in Barletta, Italy.[10] Additionally, Miracco is the Curator and Editor of the Catalogue SOLMI Ship of Fools, Venice Biennale 2024, Palazzo Dona dalle Rose from April 18 to July 2024.[11]
Miracco is a prolific author and critic known for publishing numerous exhibition catalogues and art books that highlight Italian and American art, Impressionism, and cultural heritage. His recent notable publication, Giuseppe De Nittis: La Donazione di Léontine Gruvelle De Nittis (2023), in both Italian and English, revisits De Nittis's connections with French artists like Manet, Degas, and Caillebotte, emphasizing his unique contributions to Impressionism and his innovative visual systems that closely intertwine images and narrative.
| SOLMI Ship of Fools | Venice Biennale 2024 | 2024 | Curator | |
| Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, L’altra realta’ nella Parigi di Fine Ottocento | Palazzo Della Marra, Barletta, Italy | 2024 | Curator | |
| De Nittis, La Strada da Napoli a Brindisi | Editrice Rotas, Barletta, Italy | 2023 | Curator | |
| An Italian Impressionist in Paris: Giuseppe De Nittis | The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. | 2022-2023 | Curator | |
| Bice Lazzari Modernist Pioneer | The Estorick Collection, London, UK | 2022 | Curator | |
| Bice Lazzari: The Poetry of Mark-Making | The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. | 2018-2019 | Curator | |
| Rereading De Nittis, Today | Pinacoteca De Nittis Palazzo della Marra, Barletta, Italy | 2018 | Curator | |
| Saving Art, Preserving Heritage | Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C. | 2018 | Curator | |
| War &Art WWI-USA in Italy Destruction and Protection of Italian Cultural Heritage During World War I | Secretary of Defense, Pentagon, Virginia | 2017-2019 | Curator | |
| Massimiliano Gatti: The Day Memory Dissolved | The Italian Academy at Columbia University, New York | 2016 | Curator | |
| Afro-Cuba: Mystery and Magic of Afro-Cuban Spirituality | The OAS AMA | Art Museum of the Americas, Washington, D.C. | 2016 | Curator | |
| Le Onde: Waves of Italian Influence (1914–1971) | Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Washington, D.C. | 2015-2016 | Curator & Gallery Talk | |
| Gemme dell'impressionismo: dipinti della National Gallery of art di Washington | Ara Pacis, Rome, Italy | 2014 | Co-curator | |
| Next Stop: Italy | The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. | 2013 | Curator | |
| Italian Paper Exhibition | Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. | 2013 | Curator | |
| Giorgio de Chirico: Myth and Archaeology | The Phillips Collection, Washington, D.C. | 2013 | Curator | |
| Paolo Ventura: Selected Works | The Italian Academy at Columbia University, New York | 2013 | Curator | |
| Costantino Nivola | Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. | 2012 | Curator | |
| Paintings from the Academia Carrara | Italian Embassy in Washington, D.C. | 2011-12 | Curator | |
| Spirit Into Shape: Contemporary Italian Sculpture | Meridian International Center, Washington, D.C. | 2011 | Curator | |
| Giorgio Morandi, 1890-1964 | Museum of Modern Art of Bologna, Bologna, Italy | 2009 | Curator | |
| Giorgio Morandi, 1890-1964 | The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York | 2008 | Curator[12] | |
| Renato D’Agostin: Metropolis | Leica Gallery, New York | 2008 | Curator | |
| I lavoratori in cammino: da Pelizza da Volpedo a Ceroli | Italian Chamber of Deputies, Rome, Italy | 2007-2008 | Curator | |
| The Artworks collected by Arturo Toscanini | New York Philharmonic Lincoln Center, New York | 2007 | Curator | |
| Piety and Pragmatism: Spiritualism in Futurist Art | The Estorick Collection, London, UK | 2007 | Curator | |
| Female Italian and Russian Avant-Garde Art, 1910-1935 | Tretyakov Gallery, Moscow, Russia | 2007 | Curator | |
| Mirko Dalla Mitologia all’Archetipo 1937- 1957 | New York University, New York | 2007 | Curator | |
| Lucio Fontana At the roots of Spatialism | New York University, New York; Italian Cultural Institute, LA | 2006 | Curator | |
| Giulio Aristide Sartorio 1860-1932 | Chiostro del Bramante, Rome, Italy | 2006 | Curator | |
| Il Fregio di Giulio Aristide Sartorio | Palazzo Montecitorio, Rome, Italy | 2006 | Curator | |
| Beyond Painting: Burri, Fontana, Manzoni | Tate Modern, London, UK | 2005-2006 | Curator | |
| Bice Lazzari: Abstract Emotion (L'emozione Astratta) | Biennale Ca Pesaro, Fondazione Musei Civici di Venezia, Venice, Italy | 2005 | Curator | |
| Futurist Skies: Italian Aeropainting | The Estorick Collection, London, UK | 2005 | Curator | |
| Italian Still Life, 1910-1960 | Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Brazil, and Peru | 2005 | Curator | |
| Federico Zandomeneghi: Impressionista Veneziano | Chiostro del Bramante, Rome, Italy | 2005 | Curator | |
| Sironi Monumentale Cartoni e studi 1931-1940 | MART Rovereto | 2005-2024 | Curator | |
| De Nittis: Impressionista Italiano | Chiostro del Bramante, Rome; Fondazione Mazzotta, Milan, Italy | 2004 | Curator | |
| I Tesori del Mare | Museo Fattori, Livorno, Italy | 2004 | Co-curator | |
| Il Respiro dell Anima, Giorgio Morandi e la Natura Morta in Italia | Europalia Bruges Groeningemuseum, Arentshuis, Bruges, Belgium | 2003-2004 | Curator | |
| Futurismo 1909-1926 | Museum of Ixelles, Ixelles, Belgium | 2003-2004 | Curator | |
| Aerea cielos futuristas | Museo Municipal de Arte Contemporaneo, Madrid, Spain | 2003 | Curator | |
| Italian Art 1950-1970: Capolavori della Collezione Farnesina | India Museum Contemporary Art, New Delhi | 2003 | Curator | |
| Giulio Aristide Sartorio Impressioni di Guerra 1917-1918 | Palazzo Montecitorio, Deputy Chambers, Rome, Italy | 2002 | Curator | |
| Light and Painting in Italy 1850-1914 | Fondazione Adriano Olivetti, Ivrea, Italy; Estorick Collection, London, UK; Museum of Modern Art Brussels, Brussels, Belgium | 2002 | Curator | |
| Carlo Carrá: Works on Paper | The Estorick Collection, London, UK | 2001-2002 | Curator | |
| Carlo Carrá: 1900-1965: Las Mutaciones del Espiritu | Buenos Aires, Argentina; Santiago, Chile; Córdoba, Argentina | 2001 | Curator | |
| Il Ritratto Italiano | Rome, Italy | 1998 | Curator | |
| Sironi: Il Lavoro e l'Arte | Accademia Carrara, Bergamo, Italy | 1997 | Curator | |
| Mario Sironi: el Trabajo y el Arte | Mexico City, Mexico; Buenos Aires, Argentina | 1996-1998 | Curator |
| [Exhibition catalogue] SOLMI Ship Of Fools | Venice Biennale | 2024 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Henri de Toulouse Lautrec, L’altra realta’ nella Parigi di Fine Ottocento | ed, Rotas | 2024 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Italian and American Art, An Interaction 1930-1980 | 5 Continents Editions | 2024 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giuseppe De Nittis La Donazione di Léontine Gruvelle De Nittis | Gangemi Ediitore | 2023 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] De Nittis, La Strada da Napoli a Brindisi Editrice Rotas | Rotas Edition | 2023 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Bice Lazzari Modernist Pioneer | Estorick Collection | 2022 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Rileggere De Nittis, ogg, Guida al Percorso della Mostra (Italian & English) | Pinacoteca De Nittis, Barletta, Italy | 2021 | Author & Curator | |
| Oscar Wilde's Italian Dream 1875-1900 | Damiani Editore | 2020 | Author | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] War &Art WWI-USA in Italy Destruction and Protection of Italian Cultural Heritage During World War I | Gangemi Editore, Rome | 2017 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] War & Art: WWI – USA in Italy | Gangemi Editore | 2015 | Author & Curator | |
| Italian Treasures in the US: An Itinerary of Art | Gangemi Editore | 2015 | Author | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Le Onde Waves of Italian Influence (1914-1971) | Gangemi Editore | 2015 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Gemme dell'impressionismo: dipinti della National Gallery of art di Washington | National Gallery of Art | 2014 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] War & Art: Destruction and Protection of Italian Cultural Heritage During World War I | Gangemi Editore | 2014 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giorgio de Chirico: Myth and Archaeology | Silvana Editorale | 2013 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Costantino Nivola: 100 Years of Creativity | Charta/Italian Cultural Institute | 2012 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Andrea Bianconi | Charta | 2011 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giuseppe Ripa: Liminal | Charta | 2011 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giulio Rimondi: Beirut Nocturne | Beirut Museum | 2011 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giuseppe Ripa: Moondance | Charta | 2010 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Lucio Fontana: At the Roots of Spatialism | Gangemi Editore | 2010 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Instant Book: Italian Artists-New York[13] | Charta/Italian Cultural Institute | 2010 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Federico Solmi | Charta | 2010 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Michele Ciacciofera: Silence | Charta | 2010 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Piety and Pragmatism: Spiritualism in Futuristic Art | Gangemi Editore | 2010 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Harry Bertoia. D ecisi che una sedia non poteva bastare | Silvana Editoriale | 2009 | Contributor & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Fausto Melotti With Photos by Ugo Mulas | Charta/Italian Cultural Institute | 2009 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giorgio Morandi: 1890-1964: Nothing Is More Abstract Than Reality | Skira | 2008 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Paolo Mussat Sartor: Luoghi D'arte E Di Artisti: 1968-2008 | JRP Ringier | 2008 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giorgio Morandi | Charta/Italian Cultural Institute | 2008 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] The Artworks Collected by La Colezione d'Arte di Arturo Toscanini | Mazzotta | 2007 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Lucio Fontana: At the roots of Spatialism | Gangemi Editore | 2006 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giulio Aristide Sartorio 1860-1932 | Chiostro del Bramante | 2006 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giorgio Morandi e a natureza-morta na Italia | Mazzotta | 2006 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Achille Perilli Works on Paper 1946-1957 | Estorick Collection, London | 2006 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Italian Abstraction 1910-1960 | Estorick Collection, London | 2006 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Beyond Painting: Burri, Fontana, Manzoni | Tate Publishing | 2005 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Afro - the Memory's Alphabet | Italian Cultural Institute London | 2005 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Sironi Monumentale Cartoni e studi 1931-1940 | Mart Rovereto | 2005 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] I Tesori del Mare | Comune de Livorno | 2004 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Le souffle de l'âme | Exhibitions International | 2004 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Il Respiro dell Anima, Giorgio Morandi e la Natura Morta in Italia | Europalia Bruges Groeningemuseum | 2003-2004 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Painting Light: Italian Divisionism, 1885-1910 | Estorik Collection, London | 2003 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giulio Aristide Sartorio Impressioni di Guerra 1917-1918 | Chamber of Deputies, Rome | 2002 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Mario Sironi: Between Futurism and the Urban Landscape 1914-1920 | Estorick Foundation, London | 2002 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Giacomo Balla 1894-1910 | Delta Graphic on behalf of Pinacotrca de Estado, San Polo, Brazil | 2000 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Sironi: Il Lavoro e l'Arte | Newton | 1997 | Author & Curator | |
| [Exhibition catalogue] Il Metalibro | Edizioni Colonnese | 1984 | Author & Curator | |
| Oscar Wilde: Verso il Sole | Edizioni Colonnese | 1981 | Author |