Olga Raggio (5 February 1926 – 24 January 2009) was an art historian and curator who worked with the

Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York City, colloquially "the Met", is the largest art museum in the Americas. Its permanent collection contains over two million works, divided among 17 curatorial departments. The main building at 1000 ...

for over 60 years, and discovered the 'lost' bust of

Cosimo I de' Medici Cosimo I de' Medici (12 June 1519 – 21 April 1574) was the second Duke of Florence from 1537 until 1569, when he became the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, a title he held until his death. Life Rise to power Cosimo was born in Florence on 12 ...

Bartolommeo Bandinelli Baccio Bandinelli (also called Bartolommeo Brandini; 12 November 1493 – shortly before 7 February 1560), was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, draughtsman, and painter. Biography Bandinelli was the son of a prominent Florentine goldsmith, ...

Early life

Olga Raggio was born in Rome on 5 February 1926. Her father was Italian, while her mother was Russian. Raggio graduated from the

Vatican Library The Vatican Apostolic Library ( la, Bibliotheca Apostolica Vaticana, it, Biblioteca Apostolica Vaticana), more commonly known as the Vatican Library or informally as the Vat, is the library of the Holy See, located in Vatican City. Formally es ...

with a diploma in library science in 1947, and obtained a PhD from the University of Rome in 1949.

Career

Metropolitan Museum

In 1950, Raggio received a

Fulbright Fellowship The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States Cultural Exchange Programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the people of ...

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

. She also joined the

in New York as a junior research fellow. Raggio's curatorial career climbed steadily, from assistant curator in 1954 to full curator in 1968, and chair of the department of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts between 1971 and 2001. Her responsibilities encompassed the entirety of the museum's art collections dating between 1400 and 1900 other than painting or drawing. She was mentioned as a candidate to succeed

Thomas Hoving Thomas Pearsall Field Hoving (January 15, 1931 – December 10, 2009) was an American museum executive and consultant and the director of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Early life He was born in New York City to Walter Hoving, the head of Ti ...

as the Metropolitan Museum's director in 1977, but the post went to Philippe de Montebello. Raggio's research concentrated on Renaissance and Baroque sculpture, notably

Alessandro Algardi Alessandro Algardi (July 31, 1598 – June 10, 1654) was an Italian high- Baroque sculptor active almost exclusively in Rome, where for the latter decades of his life, he was, along with Francesco Borromini and Pietro da Cortona, one of the maj ...

and

Gianlorenzo Bernini Gian Lorenzo (or Gianlorenzo) Bernini (, , ; Italian Giovanni Lorenzo; 7 December 159828 November 1680) was an Italian sculptor and architect. While a major figure in the world of architecture, he was more prominently the leading sculptor of his ...

. Her other contributions include a study, reconstruction and installation in the museum of the Blumenthal Patio from the Spanish castle of Vélez Blanco in 1964; the chapel of Bastie d’Urfé; and the conservation of

Federico da Montefeltro Federico da Montefeltro, also known as Federico III da Montefeltro KG (7 June 1422 – 10 September 1482), was one of the most successful mercenary captains (''condottieri'') of the Italian Renaissance, and lord of Urbino from 1444 (as Duke fro ...

's studiolo (private study) taken from the ducal palace of Gubbio. Her investigations resulted in the rediscovery of two sculptures ('' Priapus'' and ''

Flora Flora is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. Sometimes bacteria and fungi are also referred to as flora, as in the terms '' ...

'') by the Berninis, father and son, which were found in the garden of

Delbarton School Delbarton School is a private all-male Catholic Church, Catholic college-preparatory school in Morristown, New Jersey for young men in seventh grade, seventh through twelfth grades. It is an independent school directed by the Benedictine monks ...

in a

Benedictine abbey , image = Medalla San Benito.PNG , caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal , abbreviation = OSB , formation = , motto = (English: 'Pray and Work') , foun ...

in Morristown, New Jersey, as well as a bust of Cosimo I de' Medici by

Baccio Bandinelli Baccio Bandinelli (also called Bartolommeo Brandini; 12 November 1493 – shortly before 7 February 1560), was an Italian Renaissance sculptor, draughtsman, and painter. Biography Bandinelli was the son of a prominent Florentine goldsmith, ...

, which had been locked away in a vault in a Swiss bank. Raggio organised some of the museum's most famous exhibitions including ''The Splendour of Dresden'' (1978) and ''The Vatican Collections: The Papacy and Art'' (1983). Raggio retired as Distinguished Research Curator on 31 December 2008.

Academic

In 1964, Raggio became an adjunct faculty at the

New York University Institute of Fine Arts The Institute of Fine Arts (IFA) of New York University is dedicated to graduate teaching and advanced research in the history of art, archaeology and the conservation and technology of works of art. It offers Master of Arts and Doctor of Philoso ...

. She taught courses informed by her own research interest, notably

, Italian renaissance bronzes and the Studiolo.

Later life

Olga Raggio died of cancer on 24 January 2009, aged 82, in the

Bronx The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...

Bibliography

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Raggio, Olga 1926 births 2009 deaths American art historians Women art historians American women historians New York University faculty 20th-century American women 21st-century American women American women curators American curators