Italy’s cultural trove has been attracting aesthete and art-curious tourists from across the world since young aristocrats first embarked on their Grand Tours in the 17th century. Rome, Venice and Florence and their respective concentrations of riches have been the particular honeypots swarmed by art enthusiasts and list-tickers alike. The inaugural exhibition at Palazzo Citterio. Credit: Alamy But Milan, the northern capital mostly known for fashion, design and finance, is staking its claim to being a centre of art – with the culmination of a plan 50 years in the making. The Grande Brera project, a strategy to bring together several separate cultural institutions into a conglomerate like the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, has just been completed. The dream was conceived more than half a century ago, but various factors, many of them political, saw it stagnate. The early December launch of Palazzo Citterio as a modern art museum was the final piece of the Grande Brera puzzle to fall into place. The opening of Palazzo Citterio as part of the Grande Brera project. Credit: Alamy The Grande Brera comprises Pinacoteca di Brera being the main gallery, the Accademia di Belle Arti di Brera or Brera Academy, the botanical garden Orto Botanico di Brera and the Biblioteca Nazionale Braidense or Braidense National Library, as well as linking the management of the Basilica delle Santa Maria delle Grazie, where Leonardo da Vinci’s delicate The Last Supper is located. The Pinacoteca di Brera, with its origins dating to Napoleon who wanted to create a “little Louvre” to display all the works seized by the French army (on the footprint of an art institution already established by Maria Teresa of Austria), has long held what is considered one of the world’s most significant collections, with important works by the likes of Raphael, Tintoretto and Caravaggio in its auspices, but has lacked enough space to display it to its full advantage. Palazzo Citterio, is now home to a modern art collection that grew through major donations in the 1970s and 1980s. A journalist gets a first look at the centre. Credit: Alamy Stock Photo The wider Brera neighbourhood in which Grande Brera is situated is an artsy enclave at the centre of the city, featuring cobbled streets, upmarket restaurants and shops, and boutique hotels such as Bulgari Hotel Milano, which was the first of the luxury brand’s properties. The Grande Brera is a 15-minute walk from Milan’s famed cathedral, il Duomo di Milano. See pinacotecabrera.org/en/grande-brera/
Former President Jimmy Carter has died at the age of 100. The 39th president of the United States was a Georgia peanut farmer who sought to restore trust in government when he assumed the presidency in 1977 and then built a reputation for tireless work as a humanitarian. He earned a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002. He died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care, at his home in Plains, Georgia. At age 52, Carter was sworn in as president on Jan. 20, 1977, after defeating President Gerald R. Ford in the 1976 general election. Carter left office on Jan. 20, 1981, following his 1980 general election loss to Ronald Reagan. Here's the latest: A somber announcement The longest-lived American president died Sunday, more than a year after entering hospice care , at his home in the small town of Plains, Georgia, where he and his wife, Rosalynn, who died at 96 in November 2023 , spent most of their lives. “Our founder, former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, passed away this afternoon in Plains, Georgia,” The Carter Center said in posting about his death on the social media platform X. It added in a statement that he died peacefully, surrounded by his family. A Southerner and a man of faith In his 1975 book “Why Not The Best,” Carter said of himself: “I am a Southerner and an American, I am a farmer, an engineer, a father and husband, a Christian, a politician and former governor, a planner, a businessman, a nuclear physicist, a naval officer, a canoeist, and among other things a lover of Bob Dylan’s songs and Dylan Thomas’s poetry.” A moderate Democrat, Carter entered the 1976 presidential race as a little-known Georgia governor with a broad smile, outspoken Baptist mores and technocratic plans reflecting his education as an engineer. After he left office and returned home to his tiny hometown of Plains in southwest Georgia, Carter regularly taught Sunday School lessons at Maranatha Baptist Church until his mobility declined. Those sessions drew visitors from around the world. Former Vice President Gore remembers Carter for life "of purpose” Former Vice President Al Gore praised Jimmy Carter for living “a life full of purpose, commitment and kindness” and for being a “lifelong role model for the entire environmental movement.” Carter, who left the White House in 1981 after a landslide defeat to Ronald Reagan. concentrated on conflict resolution, defending democracy and fighting disease in the developing world. Gore, who lost the 2000 presidential election to George W. Bush, remains a leading advocate for action to fight climate change. Both won Nobel Peace Prizes. Gore said that “it is a testament to his unyielding determination to help build a more just and peaceful world” that Carter is often “remembered equally for the work he did as President as he is for his leadership over the 42 years after he left office.” During Gore’s time in the White House, President Bill Clinton had an uneasy relationship with Carter. But Gore said he is “grateful” for “many years of friendship and collaboration” with Carter. The Associated Press
By Connor Smith The stock market’s Santa Claus rally kicked off with solid gains, but the major indexes will still need more holiday magic to finish the year at record highs. The Dow Jones Industrial Average is up about 15% this year, but at 43,297.03 points is off 3.8% from its Dec. 4 record close of 45,014.04. The other indexes are a bit closer. The S&P 500 is up nearly 27% this year and is only down 0.8% from its Dec. 6 closing high of 6,090.27. The Nasdaq Composite, up 33% this year, is off only 0.7% from its Dec. 16 record close of 20,173.89.
Oil prices were slightly higher on Friday as Israeli strikes against Yemen's Houthi rebels triggered what Tom Essaye, founder and president of Sevens Report Research described as a "fear bid" for the commodity. "This is a geopolitics-driven market," Melek said. "We're a little worried about events around the Red Sea and potentially getting shipments interrupted in the broader region," he added. U.S. crude oil inventories fell by more than expected last week and product stocks were mixed as refineries raised their capacity use, according to official data released (on a delay due to the holiday) from DOE. Crude -4.24mm Cushing -320k Gasoline +1.63mm Distillates -1.69mm This is the 5th straight week of crude stock drawdowns and sixth straight week of gasoline builds... Source: Bloomberg Cushing stocks fell back near 'tank bottoms' once again (lowest since Oct 2023)... Source: Bloomberg WTI extended the day's gains on the crude draw, holding solidly above $70... Source: Bloomberg Crude is on track for a modest annual loss, with trading confined in a narrow band since mid-October. There are widespread concerns the market may be oversupplied next year as China’s demand slows and global production expands, although traders remain cautious about potentially tighter US sanctions against flows from Iran under Donald Trump. The prompt spread on WTI futs - with the nearby contract trading at a premium of more than 40 cents a barrel to the next in line - points to near-term supply tightness.