Mirella Levi D'Ancona

Mirella Levi D'Ancona (1919–2014)[1] was an Italian-born American professor and art historian. She was professor emeritus at Hunter College (from 1959–1986) in art history. D’Ancona did critical research on iconography of animal, floral and vegetable symbolism on art from the Late Middle Ages period to the Renaissance.[2][3][4]

Mirella Levi D'Ancona
Born(1919-06-07)June 7, 1919
Florence, Italy
DiedMarch 2, 2014(2014-03-02) (aged 94)
Florence, Italy
EducationUniversity of Florence,
New York University Institute of Fine Arts
EmployerHunter College (1959–1986)
Known forart historian, professor

Biography

Mirella Levi D’Ancona was born on 7 June 1919 in Florence, Italy, the daughter of Flora Aghib (1895–1982) and Ezio Levi D’Ancona (1884–1941).[3][5] Her grandfather was writer Alessandro d'Ancona.

She attended high school at Giambattista Vico State High School in Naples.[3] D’Ancona started her college studies at University of Naples (Università di Napoli), later transferring to University of Florence (Università di Firenze) where she graduated in 1941 with a degree in art history.[3] Mario Salmi was her thesis advisor, and her thesis was focused on Francesco d’Antonio Del Chierico.[3]

In 1944, D’Ancona fled to Switzerland with her brothers due to the uprising of fascism and racial laws.[3][6][5] In 1946, she moved to New York City to join her mother, who was already living there.[3] She took various odd jobs upon arrival, eventually becoming the assistant to Richard Offner of New York University Institute of Fine Arts.[3] She eventually registered as a PhD student at New York University Institute of Fine Arts.

In 1959, D’Ancona took a position as a professor of History of Modern Art at Hunter College, City University of New York and by 1972 she was a full professor.[3] She reminded there until 1986, eventually earning the title professor emeritus.[3] After her retirement in 1986, she moved back to Florence.[3]

Publications
  • D'Ancona, Mirella Levi (1977). The Garden of the Renaissance: Botanical Symbolism in Italian Painting. Florence, Italy: Leo S. Olschki.

See also

References
  1. "D'Ancona, Mirella Levi". The Dictionary of Art Historians.
  2. "Le specie vegetali della Primavera di Sandro Botticelli". Finestresullarte.info (in Italian). Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  3. Cavarocchi, Francesca (2020-01-13). "Mirella Levi D'Ancona" [Intellectuals Displaced from Fascist Italy]. Intellettuali in Fuga Dall'Italia Fascista. Firenze University Press.
  4. Grishin, Sasha (2019-08-03). "New book shows the history of flowers in Australian art is rich and complex". The Canberra Times. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  5. "Arte: e' morta Mirella Levi D'Ancona, studiosa simbologia rinascimentale". Adnkronos. 2020-12-19. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
  6. "Levi D'Ancona Mirella 1919 – 2014". ArtsLife History (in Italian). 2015-05-25. Retrieved 2021-03-08.
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