May 6, 13, 20  2026

1-3 pm

Bower's Museum, Kershaw Auditorium

Lecturer: Lisa Boutin Vitela

Cost: $115

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The Medici name is often mentioned in the context of art collecting, power, and riches in the Renaissance. In this series, we analyze how members of the Medici family became significant and controversial figures in Florence and beyond. The Medici family was first well-known for its banking but later became intertwined with the highest levels of society in Europe including the papacy and European royal families. We will focus on three ages of the Medici in the lectures: The Rise of the Medici in Art and Florentine Power, the Ambitious Medici in Florence and Beyond, and finally, the Medici as Grand Dukes and Custodians of Culture. The series focuses on Medici artistic patronage, political intrigue, and cultural legacy in Florence. 

Dr. Lisa Boutin Vitela is an art history professor at Cerritos College in Norwalk, California.  Dr. Vitela received her Ph.D. in Art History from UCLA with an emphasis in Italian Renaissance art. She has lived in Rome, Florence, and Mantua while conducting art historical research.