Since 1995, Eike Schmidt has held positions at major international institutions, including the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence, the National Gallery of Art in Washington, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, and Sothebys in London. From 2009 to 2015 he served as a curator at the Minneapolis Institute of Art, and subsequently as Director of the Uffizi Galleries until 2023. Since 2024, he has been Director of the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples. Alongside this, he has been active in academic and administrative roles, with appointments at the Humboldt University of Berlin, the Fondo Edifici di Culto, and the Igor Mitoraj Museum Foundation.
Ursula Benvenuti, an art historian, is Secretary General of the Sergio Vacchi Foundation, recognized by the Region of Tuscany since 1998. The Foundation is headquartered at the Castello di Grotti, a few kilometers from Siena, which was purchased by the artist in 1996. The site is particularly well suited to hospitality and to national and international exchange: it consists of the splendid castle and several adjoining buildings, some of which are used as accommodations, making it possible to host scholars from universities and foreign academies.