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Eva Fabbris Reflects on Her Directorship at Museo Madre in Naples

institutional · 2026-04-27

In a conversation with exibart, art historian Eva Fabbris discusses her tenure of three and a half years as the director of Museo Madre in Naples, which is currently under the direction of Eugenio Viola. Her goal was to transform the museum's approach to emphasize 'being with' through various public programs and workshops. Fabbris pointed out the museum's significance in the contemporary art landscape of southern Italy and its aspirations to become a leading European institution. During her time, the Madre showcased underrepresented women artists and curated research-based exhibitions. Key highlights included a retrospective of Kazuko Miyamoto and the exhibition titled 'Gli anni.' She also spoke about the gender imbalance in the collection and the necessity for consistent leadership in Italian contemporary museums established in the 2000s.

Key facts

  • Eva Fabbris directed the Museo Madre in Naples for three and a half years; Eugenio Viola is the current director.
  • Fabbris previously worked at Fondazione Prada before moving to the public museum in southern Italy.
  • Her programming emphasized a 'being with' museum model, with public programs, artist workshops, and music.
  • A Kazuko Miyamoto retrospective produced by the Madre was acquired by the Belvedere in Vienna.
  • Tomaso Binga recently entered the collection of the Pompidou.
  • The exhibition project 'Gli anni' was inspired by Annie Ernaux's collective autobiography and presented in chapters.
  • The Premio Meridiana, organized with Amici del Madre, received 65 applications in its first edition.
  • The Madre's collection lacks a dedicated acquisitions budget and relies on ministerial grants like Italian Council, PAC, and Strategia Fotografia.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Museo Madre
  • Fondazione Prada
  • Belvedere
  • Pompidou
  • Guggenheim
  • Galleria Annarumma
  • Rio Grande
  • Amici del Madre
  • MAXXI
  • MACRO
  • Regione Campania
  • Italian Council
  • PAC
  • Strategia Fotografia
  • Fondazione Morra
  • Museo Novecento
  • Musei nazionali del Vomero
  • exibart
  • Fondazione Donnaregina per le arti contemporanee
  • Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Galleria Civica di Trento
  • Museion
  • NABA
  • Mousse Magazine
  • Cura
  • Flash Art
  • Artribune

Locations

  • Naples
  • Italy
  • Vienna
  • Austria
  • Paris
  • France
  • New York
  • United States
  • Capodimonte
  • Castel Sant'Elmo
  • Shanghai
  • China
  • Mediterranean
  • Milan
  • Trento
  • Bolzano

Sources