Francesca Casadio is an American-Italianconservation scientist and Founding Director of the Scientific Research Laboratory at theArt Institute of Chicago. In 2006 she was awarded theL’Oréal Art and Science of Colour Silver Prize.
Casdio grew up inTurin, and attendedLiceo Classico Massimo d'Azeglio.[1] She has said that she was always interested in art and cultural heritage.[1] She studied chemistry at theUniversity of Milan. Her Master's research developed vibrational spectroscopies (Raman spectroscopy andFTIR) to understandpigments used in polychrome art.[1] Her doctoral research used chemical analysis to understand thepolymers used to conserve art and architecture.[2] She spent 1995 as anErasmus scholar atImperial College London. After earning her doctorate she moved toRome, where she worked on conservation science and diagnostic spectroscopies.[2] She worked at theGetty Conservation Institute and theLos Angeles County Museum of Art.[2]
In 2003 Casadio founded the Scientific Research Laboratory at theArt Institute of Chicago.[2] Her research studies the materials and techniques of artists and public engagement with museum objects.[2][3] She is interested with the development of non-destructive andnon-invasivecharacterisation techniques.[1]
She founded theNorthwestern University Art Institute of ChicagoCenter for Scientific Studies in the Arts, where she focussed on the analysis ofRenoir andPicasso artworks.[4][5][6] In 2006 Casadio was honoured with the L’Oréal Art and Science of Colour Silver Prize.
She was awarded anHonorary Doctorate from theSorbonne University in 2019.[7]