Washington, DC – The Senate last night unanimously approved legislation sponsored by Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (NY) and Senator Michael Enzi (WY) to authorize the use of the Capitol Rotunda for a ceremony to honor Constantino Brumidi on the bicentennial of his birth. The House version of the concurrent resolution, sponsored by Representative Bill Pascrell, Jr. (NJ), passed the U.S. House of Representatives on July 20. The ceremony honoring Brumidi is set for Tuesday, July 26 at 11 am, featuring Congressional leaders of the Italian American and Hellenic American delegations and the Senate Cultural Caucus.

“It is an honor to help lead the effort to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Constantino Brumidi,” said Senator Clinton. “From Our Lady of the Scapular and St. Stephen’s Church in New York City to the Capitol Rotunda, generations of Americans have been blessed by the extraordinary works of this visionary, born of Italian and Greek roots, who in the greatest tradition of our country made an historic and enduring contribution to our great nation.”

“I am pleased the Senate has passed this resolution, honoring a remarkable man, Constantino Brumidi. His artwork captured the spirit of the nation – the heritage we share – together with our hopes for the future,” said Senator Enzi. His talents and abilities brought a sense of honor and tradition to the Capitol Building that continues to remind us of the vision of our founding fathers and their belief that conducting the people’s business was a sacred honor that was entrusted to us by the people of the United States.”

The Senate Concurrent Resolution was co-sponsored by Senator Olympia Snowe (R-ME) and Senator Edward Kennedy (MA). The House Concurrent Resolution was introduced by the co-chairs of the Italian American Congressional Delegation, Reps. Bill Pascrell, Jr. and John Mica (7-FL), and the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Hellenic Issues, Reps. Michael Bilirakis (9-FL) and Carolyn Maloney (NY-14).

On September 18, 1852, Constantino Brumidi immigrated to the United States from Civitavecchia via Maseille, Italy. He was a former student of Rome’s most revered art school, the Acadamia di san Luca, where he studied under artists esteemed by popes and intellectuals. Brumidi left a promising artistic career in Rome to seek political asylum in the United States. The son of a Greek father and Italian mother, Constantino Brumidi arrived in New York where he began building his legacy.

Constantino Brumidi’s most famous work is the Apotheosis of Washington, a captivating fresco that covers the inside of the Capitol Rotunda. He also painted a majority of the Frieze of American History, a piece that bands around the base of the Rotunda. Brumidi’s works can be found throughout the Capitol Building, mainly in the West Corridor, known as the Brumidi Corridor, the Senate Reception Room, the President’s Room and various committee rooms.

Constantino Brumidi has been honored in the Capitol on three different occasions in the twentieth century. Tributes were held in 1952, 1968 and 1980. The late Congressman Peter Rodino of New Jersey was the Master of Ceremonies during the 1968 and 1980 ceremonies.

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