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Michel Gras
Director of l’École française de Rome
Michel Gras, historian and archaeologist, was born in 1945.
After obtaining his “agrégation” in history, he was selected as a Scholar of the French School of Rome and, lately, appointed in
the same Institute as Director of the Ancient Studies.
In 1985 was appointed Research Director in the French National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS).
Among other commitments, he has been Joint Director at the Department of Human Sciences and Social Studies of the CNRS
and also Vice President of the National Council for Archaeological Research of the French Ministry of Culture.
Since July 2003, Michel Gras is Director of the French School of Rome.
Michel Gras has carried out research on pre-Roman Western Mediterranean region, with a special focus on the communication
links and commercial exchanges among Etruscans, Greeks and Phoenicians, the rise of Greek urbanism in Western Europe
and Greek funeral rites. His main archaeological activity has taken place in Mégara Hyblaea, a Greek city near Syracuse
on the Sicilian East coast.
Michel Gras has published around 160 articles and 4 books.
- Trafics tyrrhéniens archaïques, Roma, 1985
- La Méditerranée archaïque, Parigi, 1995
- L’Univers phénicien (en collab.), Parigi, 1992
- Mégara Hyblaea. V. La ville archaïque (en collab.), Roma, 2005
Christoph Vitali
Director of the Kunst-und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn
Christoph Vitali was born in Zurich in 1940. After studying Law in Zurich as well as language, literature, art and civilisation in
the United States and in Spain, he enters in 1969 the cultural department of the Municipality of Zurich as a deputy. He successively
promotes to immediate deputy and becomes Chief director in 1971. In this framework, he gets involved in numerous
activities related to cultural advancement and cultural and educational policy ranging from theatre, graphic art, literature,
music to film. As a Municipality Representative he enters the controlling committees of important cultural institutes, in
particular the “Schauspielhaus” (member of the board and of the board commission) as well as the “Theater am Neumarkt”
(delegate of the board). He directs the municipality-owned “Theater am Hechtplatz” founds the “Theater 11”, takes over the
“Helmhaus”, the “Rietberg” and the Kunstkammer zum Strauhof” museums, sets up the “Filmpodium” and “Theareana” an
alternative culture centre in a wasteland area. He directs the protocol department of the municipal administration and supervises
the various branch offices.
From 1979 to 1984, he is the director of the municipal theatres in Frankfurt-am-Main (opera, ballet, theatre). From 1985 to
1993, he administers and directs the “Theater am Turn”, the Künstlerhaus Mousonturm, the OFF-TAT and the Schirn Kunsthalle
in Frankfurt. From 1994 to 2003, he is the director of the Haus der Kunst, Munich, and from 2003, of the Beyeler
Foundation Riehen/Bâle.
In 2007, Christoph Vitali is appointed Director of the Kunst- und Ausstellungshalle der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Bonn.