Lorenzo Balbi appointed director of Verona's civic museums

Lorenzo Balbi, director of MAMbo in Bologna since 2017, has been appointed director of the Musei di Verona, a network of eight civic museums including the Arena di Verona, Casa di Giulietta, Museo Archeologico al Teatro Romano, Museo Civico di Storia naturale, Museo degli Affreschi di G. B. Cavalcaselle, Museo di Castelvecchio, Museo Lapidario Maffeiano, and Galleria d'Arte Moderna Achille Forti. He will assume the role in September 2026, succeeding Francesca Rossi who led the museums from 2017 to 2025. Balbi's selection followed a competitive process by the Comune di Verona, seeking candidates with high-level museum management experience and knowledge of national and European cultural heritage regulations. His responsibilities include coordinating the multi-site system, developing international partnerships, securing funding, and reforming governance to increase autonomy. Balbi, born in Rivoli (Turin) in 1982, previously served as curator at Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo from 2006 to 2017 and has been president of AMACI since 2002. He also directs ART CITY Bologna. In June 2026, a Giorgio Morandi retrospective he curated will open at the Museum of Art Pudong in Shanghai. Balbi stated he accepts the role with honor and sees Verona as a potential cultural laboratory.