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Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, essayist and editorialist, has curated cultural events all over Italy in which aspects of philosophy and literature are interwoven in new exhibition formats. On October 30th 2008, he was appointed by the City Mayor, Mrs. Letizia Moratti, to preside over as the chairman of the city council committee for culture of the City of Milan. Among many other events, in recent years he has staged, in the double role of actor and director, L’altro viaggio di Rainer Maria Rilke, dedicated to one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century, Lo specchio di Borges with music by Astor Piazzolla, and the latest L'orecchio di Beethoven, performed with a string quartet. In addition to La parola contesa tra filosofia e scienza (The philosophical and scientific debate over speech), in association with the Teatro Eliseo in Rome, which has showcased some of the most important philosophical and scientific thinkers of our time, he presented - as artistic director of cultural activities for the National Gallery of Ancient Art at Palazzo Barberini in Rome - he presented three editions of Il gioco serio dell’Arte (The serious game of Art), a series of dialogues which examines the masterpieces of the National Gallery from an aesthetic, philosophical and literary point of view. At Sabbioneta, in the course of Notte Bianca (Sleepless Night), which he planned and produced, he organised a series of meetings, debates, theatre shows and live performances which brought the historic sights of the city to life. On the occasion of that event, he also devised an urban set design using light which had the colour and heat of fire rather than electric lighting, taking Sabbioneta back to the time of its foundation. In Milan with Notte Bianca della Cultura (Sleepless Night of Culture), Città delle Vertigini (Vertigo City) and Notte Bianca di Primavera (Spring’s Sleepless Night), apart from a rich schedule of events under the direction of Massimiliano Finazzer Flory, using different means of expression, contributions resulting from theoretical and applied research were made and led to the publication of some articles and two notebooks: Notte Bianca 2004 (Sleepless Night 2004) and Notte Bianca 2005 (Sleepless Night 2005), which tell about this experience for the first time. The popular and critical success of the shows centred around Mito (Myth) – in which renowned experts and well-known actors appeared in Milan (Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II and Palazzo Litta), Venice (Ca’ Rezzonico and San Giorgio Foundation), Rome (Palazzo Barberini) and in Sicily - has led to the production of the TV programmes Il Mito e la Donna (Women and Myth - shot at the Donna Fugata Castle, Ragusa) and Il Mito e l’Uomo (Men and Myth - at the Santa Maria dello Spasimo site, Palermo) for Rai Educational. For four years, in collaboration with Mons. Luigi Manganini and the Amici del Duomo Association, Massimiliano Finazzer Flory has staged A passo d’uomo (In step with mankind) in the Cathedral in Milan, a series of dialogues between highly esteemed intellectuals based on theological themes which directly confront lay and Christian philosophy. Some of the above-mentioned encounters were broadcast by RaiSat Extra as prime-time specials. The performances of L’altro viaggio di Rainer Maria Rilke and Vita a Credito (Life on Credit) were produced in cooperation with RaiSat Extra. The latter consisted of a re-reading of Europe’s cultural and literary identity based on the writings of four of its greatest authors: Miguel de Cervantes, Fëdor Dostoevskji, Marcel Proust and Franz Kafka. Since the year 2000, in the historic Rizzoli Bookshop in the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery in Milan, he has planned and hosted Cultura in Galleria (Culture in the Gallery), an exhibition which presents and provides a forum for the most important new publications in the fields of philosophy, literature and essay-writing. He conceived of and curated the photographic exhibition: Friedrich A von Hayek. La vicenda intellettuale del più grande scienziato sociale del ‘900 (Friedrich A von Hayek. The intellectual journey of the greatest social scientist of the 20th century) which took place in Verona in 1999 and in Bologna and Milan in the year 2000. He edits two publishing-house collections for San Paolo Edizioni and Skira Editore and contributes to the Corriere della Sera – Corriere del Veneto. The exhibition Pezzi di città (Pieces of city - sponsored by the City Council and Province of Milan, as well as by the Regional government of Lombardy) which Massimiliano Finazzer Flory organised and curated, rises from the collection "Pezzi di città” for Skira Editore – which includes five articles paying tribute to the historical and artistic image of Milan and its urban philosophy, by interpreting and commenting upon the valuable photographic documentation supplied by the Civic Photographic Archives in Milan. Awards: Professor Umberto Eco, president of the Scientific Awards Committee, has presented him with the Special Prize of the “PREMIO CENACOLO Editoria e Innovazione” (a prize given for publishing and innovation) sponsored by Assolombarda, and awarded for excellence in the field of communication strategies and the integration of cultural output.
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