February 17, 2005 Print this page

Huntington Student at La Salle University Receives Internship at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in
Venice, Italy

The last time self-described “art nerd” Daniel Bernardo was in Europe, he toured some of the world’s most celebrated museums. However, the Huntington, N.Y., native never made it to the renowned Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy. No problem: He’s going to be working there for three months in the spring.

Bernardo, 21, a La Salle University English and Art History major, was recently chosen for an internship at the museum, which is housed in an 18th-century palazzo on Venice’s Grand Canal. Starting in late January, he will live in the city and work with about 20 other interns from around the world, giving tours, assisting in the day-to-day operations of the museum, and becoming an expert in its extensive collection of modern art.

Months before he was notified of his acceptance into the internship program, Bernardo took summer courses so he could be on track to graduate in December and free to move to Italy in the spring. Despite his preparations, the news of his acceptance still came as a shock. “It hasn’t hit me yet,” Bernardo said. “It’s going to be an amazing experience.”

Dr. Siobhan Conaty, Bernardo’s advisor in La Salle’s Art History Department, encouraged her student to apply for the Guggenheim internship. Conaty was an intern at the museum in 1994, and she said the experience was invaluable and the perks numerous. For starters, it’s a paid internship, a rarity in the art world. In addition to learning about the museum’s collection, interns have the chance to visit other locations significant to art and world history in Venice and elsewhere. Plus, the chance to meet and network with other students and art-lovers from diverse backgrounds is hard to pass up, Conaty said.

And then, there’s the location.

“Living in a city like Venice is like no other place in the world,” Conaty said.

Bernardo fell in love with Europe while spending the Fall 2003 semester in La Salle’s study abroad program at the American University of Rome. He welcomed the opportunity to travel extensively.

“Almost every weekend, I was in a different city,” he said. “Because I’m such an art nerd, I went to cities and I would visit five museums a day.”

After Conaty suggested the Guggenheim program last spring, Bernardo spent a few weeks staring at the application before deciding to give it a shot. He was impressed by the gallery’s reputation, he was eager to find a way to launch a career in the museum world, and he was itching to return to Europe.

“He took to Europe, and to Italy especially, like a duck to water. I think he got the bug there – the art bug and the Italy bug,” said Dr. Kevin Harty, chairman of La Salle’s English Department and Bernardo’s English advisor.

Now, he’s planning to finish his semester (and his time at La Salle) on a strong note and then concentrate on preparing to live abroad – getting a visa, sorting out insurance coverage, and brushing up on his Italian. Otherwise, he’s ready to go.

“I feel like La Salle has provided me with a ton of knowledge,” he said. “I’m going to appreciate it even more when I’m over there.”

The museum houses the private collection of Peggy Guggenheim, the niece of wealthy art collector Solomon Guggenheim and an important patron of the arts in her own right. The Palazzo Venier dei Leoni was once Guggenheim’s home, and she opened the museum there in 1951. The work of some of the most famous names in modern art, including Pablo Picasso and Jackson Pollock, is represented in the collection.

“It’s really a beacon of modern art in a city filled with Renaissance and Baroque art,” Conaty said.

Harty has visited the Peggy Guggenheim Collection on several trips to Venice and has a sense of what sort of student would fit in there. He recommended Bernardo for the program because he thinks the senior has what it takes to handle an intern’s responsibilities at the museum.

“He’s outgoing and jovial and doesn’t take himself too seriously,” Harty said.

Harty and Conaty agreed that Bernardo’s selection for such a competitive internship will reflect well on La Salle and its growing Art History program.

“It puts our program on a map that it hasn’t been on before,” Harty said.