Studio Arts College International (SACI) mourn the loss of Mary Beckinsale, former president and matriarch of SACI, who passed away on September 22.
Mary was loved and revered by the Florentine community and the Italian institutions with whom she tirelessly worked. Her life was exemplary, with a deep moral conscience and love for humanity. Her intellect was an inspiration to all who knew her, propelling her on a never-ending quest to unearth and reveal new perspectives about art and life. She was known for her pursuit of excellence, internationalism, creative freedom and public service. Her extraordinary lifetime of scholarship, teaching and directing institutions began with receiving an MA with honors from Cambridge University, followed by a Masters in Philosophy in Cultural Studies at the prestigious Warburg Institute, University of London.
Mary created the SACI Onlus, which provided free art courses and workshops for socially disadvantaged people. She was instrumental in organizing numerous SACI conservation projects in Florence and elsewhere in Tuscany, including the restoration of the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, severely damaged by the flood of 1966.
She is survived by her husband, well-known painter and founder of SACI, Jules Maidoff and her children Ben and Lisa.
