Fresh faces, familiar place. Magazzino Italian Art, the only U.S. museum dedicated to post-war and contemporary Italian art located in Cold Spring, New York, enters a new chapter of its seven-year history by appointing a new leadership team—Director Adam Sheffer, Artistic Director Paola Mura, Chief Operating Officer Monica Eisner, and Director of Education, Germano Celant Research Center, Nicola Lucchi.
All four have decades of experience in the museum, gallery, and nonprofit organization environment behind them. They will be responsible for leading the development of Magazzino Italian Art following the opening of the new Robert Olnick Pavilion and expanding exhibitions and programs from the Hudson Valley to an international community of scholars and art lovers.
The newly elected Director, Adam Sheffer, was President of the nonprofit organization Art Dealers Association of America and benefactor of the Museum of Fine Arts Boston.
Ph.D. architect Paola Mura was the former Director of the Cagliari Civic Museums and led the remounting of the modern, contemporary, and Asian collections. She also curated a collaboration with Magazzino Italian Art as “Arte Povera” from the Olnick Spanu Collection and “Marco Anelli: Building Magazzino, 2014-2024.” Monica Eisner has worked at the Metropolitan Museum of Art by overseeing the day-to-day operations of the Department of Ancient Near Eastern Art. Ph.D.
Nicola Lucchi, who describes himself as a “longtime admirer of Magazzino,” comes from the Centro Italiano d’Arte Moderna (CIMA), where he served as Executive Director between 2022 and 2024 by curating annual exhibitions, a competitive scholarship program, public lectures, conferences, screenings, and performances.
“Seven years ago, we opened Magazzino with a single building devoted to the presentation of our collection of Arte Povera,” Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu, Founders and Managing Trustees of Magazzino, commented. “Now, the Museum has blossomed into a major institution for post-war and contemporary Italian art, with facilities for temporary exhibitions, public programs, and education initiatives, an increasingly active research center, and even a café dedicated to Italian cuisine. We are excited to name the leadership team as the Museum continues to grow and evolve.”
