Annual General Meeting: The Bellinis, a Dynasty of Antiquarians and their Collection with Mr. Luigi Bellini

The Executive Committee is honoured to present Mr. Luigi Bellini, collector and descendant of the Bellini family as the guest speaker for this year’s Annual General Meeting (AGM).

To say “the Bellinis” means ‘dynasty’, a great and ancient family deeply rooted in the common passion for art creations of the past. It also means a Gallery known all over the world, a special kind of antique dealing, lofty and noble in its class, moving along a classic track and never diverted by the passing fancy for the curiosity object.

The Bellini family of antiquarians can be traced back to the XVIII century. Not only antiquatarians, the Bellinis have through the centuries also been dealers, and collectors of art and antiquity. Within the former house of the Soderini family located along the Arno in Florence lies a noble collection that includes a head by Donatello, a portrait by Tintoretto, a Madonna by della Robbia, a bronze by Giovanni Bologna, a majolica by Xanto Avelli from Rovigo, a gothic tapestry, a wardrobe carved by Sansovino.

The University Museum and Art Gallery in the exhibition Shaping the Human Body: Florentine Sculpture of the Italian Renaissance will be featuring a selection of sculptures from 14th to the 16th century from the Bellini’s collection. In this talk, Luigi Bellini will tell us more about his fascinating family and the incredible collection the family has amassed over the centuries.