U.S. born and
raised, in 8th grade Mark moved with his family to Florence, Italy, from where his father had originally emigrated to the States.
Mark finished Junior High and then attended High School in Florence, graduating in ’89.
He then
went to University
of Pisa and won a
scholarship to the Scuola Normale Superiore where he studied History of
Art & Architecture & Art Criticism with prof. Paola Barocchi, the
curator & commentator of comparative critical work of both editions of
Vasari’s Lives of most renowned artists (1550 & 1568).
Mark also
attended the History of Archaeology courses of prof. S. Settis at the SNS (until the professor's departure for the Getty Research Center in 1994) focusing on the Panofsky-Gombrich tradition of art history writing. Mark graduated in 1994 from both the University (M.A.) and the Scuola Normale of Pisa with a thesis on the relations between the Italian
Futurists and the French Cubists.
During his
post graduate course at the Scuola Normale (1994-96), Mark concentrated his
research on the History of the Arts & Art Criticism of the XIX and early XX
centuries and on European cultural policies of the period, through the
1930’s .
He also
worked with prof. R. Vivarelli, historian with expertise in the History of Fascist
Italy, doing some research on the Rappel à l’Ordre that followed the conclusion
of the Avant-Guard movements in Europe, with regard to the critical political and economic period for the continent.
In 1993
Mark passed the exam of the Region of Tuscany & City of Florence to become
a licensed tour guide; in 1998/99 he was called to be part of the examining
commission for new guides for the Region.
In his small
Municipality of Tavarnelle Val di Pesa, Mark was called twice (in 1997-99 and
2005-09) as a member of the mayor’s cabinet as a Commissioner of Public
Education & Culture; and subsequently Personnel and Public Works.
As a
Culture Commissioner he promoted several exhibitions and coordinated amongst
others the museum policy of 5 municipal museums in the Chianti area just south
of Florence and
placed particular effort in attaining funds for structural investments (school,
library, restauration of Renaissance palaces as exhibition center etc.)
