Michele Lanzinger, longtime MUSE director and museum world innovator, passes away

Michele Lanzinger, a leading figure in the Italian museum and science scene, at the helm of MUSE - Museum of Science in Trento from 1992 to 2024, has passed away. During his career, he held numerous important positions, including president pro-tempore of ICOM Italy for the 2022-2025 term, also distinguishing himself as a promoter of the national Musei dei Futuri Network project. He has participated in numerous scientific committees, distinguishing himself in teaching, museum design and research.

Alongside his intense scientific career, Lanzinger has cultivated a deep passion for music throughout his life, which has accompanied his personal and human journey. His musical training led him to attend orchestral schools in Lanciano and the Teatro La Fenice in Venice, eventually collaborating with the Trentino orchestra “Continuum Novecento.” In the following years he continued to devote himself to the musical life of the area, actively participating in the association and orchestra “I Filarmonici,” of which he was founding president in the first five years and violist. His commitment to culture was also expressed through his role as a member of the Board of Directors of the Haydn Orchestra, a position he held by appointment of the City of Trent.

“With Michele Lanzinger, Trentino loses not only a scientist of extraordinary value, but a visionary capable of radically transforming the way popularization is done in our country,” said the president of the Autonomous Province of Trento, Maurizio Fugatti. “His name will remain inextricably linked to the history of MUSE, which he led with foresight from 1992 to 2024. He was the engine that ferried the institution to the new, iconic headquarters designed by Renzo Piano in 2013, positioning the museum at the top of Europe for innovation and visitors.”

“With his expertise and total dedication to the public good, Lanzinger made an indelible mark on our territory, making cultural institutions open places capable of engaging in dialogue with contemporary society,” said provincial culture councillor Francesca Gerosa, expressing on behalf of the entire council, management, the province and provincial museums the deepest condolences. “His professional authority, combined with a rare ability to build relationships and shared planning, made him a valuable interlocutor. For these reasons, we had recently wanted to enthusiastically entrust him with the presidency of the ’F.A. Bonporti’ Conservatory of Trento and Riva del Garda, certain that his sensitivity could accompany this excellence in a new phase of development.”

“Michele Lanzinger was not simply a director: he was the driving force behind a profound cultural metamorphosis of our museum institution,” is how MUSE mourns Lanzinger’s passing. “Under his far-sighted and visionary leadership, the Tridentine Museum of Natural Sciences was transformed into MUSE, an excellence capable of combining scientific rigor, participation, avant-garde architecture and a constant dialogue with the territory, institutions and society. Thanks to his vision, MUSE has become an international point of reference, a success also testified by his prestigious public roles including presidency of ICOM Italia (International Council of Museums) of ANMS (National Association of Science Museums) and participation in the steering committees of ECSITE (European Network of Science Centers and Museums) and ICOM Europe. His inexhaustible intellectual curiosity and deep culture inspired generations of museologists, scholars, researchers and popularizers. Today the entire museum staff mourns an influential leader, always willing to listen and dialogue, a guide and tireless thinker with a contagious passion for knowledge.”

Michele Lanzinger, longtime MUSE director and museum world innovator, passes away

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