Umberto Baldini, 84; Led Effort to Restore Art After 1966 Flood of Florence

Umberto Baldini, 84, one of Italy’s most influential art conservationists who led efforts to restore hundreds of artworks in Florence after the 1966 flooding of the Arno River, died Aug. 15 at his home in Tuscany. The cause of death was not reported.

Baldini oversaw the difficult restoration project and played a key role in organizing efforts at other leading libraries and museums.

Baldini said the devastation to art was so dramatic because people in the region had forgotten the flood danger posed by the river.

“When Florence was flooded, it was a catastrophe because we were complexly unprepared,” Baldini said. “We had forgotten.”

After the flood, most important works of art were put out of reach of possible floodwater, but Baldini noted that the flood risk remained high, largely because of the disappearance of nearby forests that had prevented runoff.

In 1983, he was placed in charge of Italy’s Central Institute for Restoration in Rome, the country’s leading conservation institute. He retired in 1987.

A native of Tuscany, Baldini wrote several books on art and art restoration.