Ana Debenedetti, the new face of the Bemberg Foundation in Toulouse
After the Victoria & Albert Museum and Culturespaces, Ana Debenedetti evolves by becoming the new director of the Bemberg Foundation. The opportunity for the Italian Renaissance enthusiast to prove herself in Toulouse.
Concise answers in fluent French. Ana Debenedetti’s communication recalls her eminent CV. Before being appointed head of the Bemberg Foundation, the doctor in art history pushed the door of many museums. “I grew up in a cultural environment with parents provided for by literature and artistic creation”, says the one who cannot say when her passion began. Although she originally wanted to work in academia, it was when she moved to London in 2007 that she discovered her calling. Ana Debenedetti started working in art galleries and ended up applying to the Victoria and Albert Museum. For twelve years, she honed her skills as curator of paintings and drawings in the famous London museum.
To complete this experience, Ana Debenedetti has built up a remarkable academic career. In 2015, she graduated with a doctorate in art history and was certified in Italian. In 2021, the desire to return to France is felt. “I had spent 15 years in England, I had just completed important projects and I had the opportunity to return to France,” she explains.
The position of exhibition director at Culturespaces, which she has held for more than a year and a half, offers her this opportunity until the moment of the meeting.
A constant renewal
“With the Foundation, it’s an encounter. A beautiful meeting”, she declares when she talks about the Bemberg foundation which she will direct from July 7th. This museum is established within the walls of the Hôtel d’Assézat, a true jewel of the Italian Renaissance. What delight the one who devotes a real craze to the art of this period and whose favorite work is a Botticelli. “The Renaissance is a fascinating period of rediscovery of the past and innovations,” she deciphers.
A reflection of the personality of the art historian, who seems to cling to the idea of renewal: “Nothing is ever an outcome. Everything is always a beginning”.
Alfred Pacquement, president of the Bemberg foundation, detected this aspect in the forties. “She will both continue and renew the policy of the foundation, she will have the desire to highlight the collection,” he says. As soon as she takes office, Ana will tackle the reopening of the foundation, which has been closed since November 2020. A task that should require a lot of work from her, enough to prove once again that Ana Debenedetti is above all a hard worker.