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Caravaggio beautifies the Rome Center


Drs. Renato Parascandolo and Paola Quercia of the RAI Corporation, benefactors Ron and Ruthellyn Musil, and Emilio Iodice and Susana Cavallo of the JFRC at the Caravaggio exhibit ribbon-cutting
Once largely barren, many of the rooms and hallways of the JFRC now feature the works of one of Italy’s greatest artists: Caravaggio. Thanks to the generosity of Trustee Ruthellyn Musil and her husband, Ron, 69 of Caravaggio’s 77 known paintings now hang at the JFRC. Using an innovative process, the RAI Corporation of Italy has reproduced the paintings as high-resolution digital photographs. The prints are of astonishing quality and are printed in trueto- original-size format.

A continuation of the “Impossible Exhibit” sponsored by the RAI Corporation in 2005 at LUMA in Chicago, the JFRC Caravaggio Gallery was unveiled at a celebration late last year. Over 200 guests participated in the inauguration, including representatives of the Vatican press and many local JFRC alumni.

Since the unveiling, the new artwork has enriched the cultural life at the JFRC. “Our students stop and reflect on the paintings,” says Emilio Iodice, vice president and director of the JFRC. “Sometimes I even hear them debate his style when he was 22 versus 38.”