Michele Lanzinger, founder and first director of the MUSE science museum in Trento, Italy, has died at age 69 after a long illness. A geologist and anthropologist, Lanzinger led the transformation of the Museo Tridentino di Scienze Naturali into the landmark MUSE building designed by Renzo Piano, which opened in 2013 and became the most visited museum in Trentino. He also served as president of ICOM Italia from 2023 to 2025 and, after leaving MUSE in 2024, was appointed president of the Conservatorio 'F.A. Bonporti' in Trento and Riva del Garda.
Lanzinger's death matters because he was a visionary museum leader who championed museums as engines of education, inclusion, and societal well-being. Under his guidance, MUSE became a model for scientific and cultural outreach in Italy and internationally, and was the first museum in Italy to adopt a mission-based budget. His commitment to rethinking museums for the future—emphasizing knowledge, self-esteem, and community dialogue—leaves a lasting legacy in museology and cultural policy.