Francesca Casadio has been appointed director of the Getty Conservation Institute

The J. Paul Getty Trust has announced the appointment of Francesca Casadio to lead the Getty Conservation Institute, where she will assume the role of director in early fall 2026. Casadio currently serves as Vice President and Grainger Executive Director of Conservation and Science at the Art Institute of Chicago.

At the helm of the Getty Conservation Institute, Casadio will be responsible for coordinating activities dedicated to the protection and enhancement of cultural heritage through scientific research programs, fieldwork, educational activities, and knowledge-sharing initiatives, while developing tools and resources accessible to conservation professionals. Her work spans architectural heritage, museum collections, and heritage science. In her new role, Casadio will report directly to Getty President and CEO Katherine E. Fleming and will be responsible for the institute’s strategic vision, promoting research projects and initiatives aimed at strengthening cultural heritage conservation practices globally.

With over twenty years of experience in the field, Casadio has worked at the Art Institute of Chicago since 2003. Throughout her career, she founded the institute’s scientific research laboratory, is leading the development of the Grainger Center for Conservation and Science—a $50 million project—and was among the founders and co-directors of the Northwestern University/Art Institute of Chicago Center for Scientific Studies in the Arts.

For Casadio, this also marks a return to her professional roots in the United States. In 2002, she began her career at the Getty Conservation Institute as a graduate intern in historic building conservation. Born and educated in Italy, she earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Milan. In 2019, she was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the Sorbonne University in Paris.

“We are thrilled to welcome Francesca to the Getty, where she will lead the Getty Conservation Institute,” said Katherine E. Fleming, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. “She brings extensive experience, gained in part through numerous international collaborations, that will allow her to offer a unique and valuable perspective, which is essential to the Institute’s ongoing commitment to shaping the conservation field.”

“I am proud to join the Getty,” said Francesca Casadio. “Thanks to its unparalleled combination of interdisciplinary research, collections, and funding activities, the Institute is uniquely positioned to demonstrate how heritage conservation is a driver of public value that benefits everyone. Many might think that conservation is something that happens only before encountering an iconic work like Van Gogh’s Irises or visiting a historic site with friends or family, but conservation is what makes that encounter possible.”

Francesca Casadio has been appointed director of the Getty Conservation Institute

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