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Ludovico Pratesi's '30 Mostre in 30 Anni' Chronicles Three Decades of Curating

publication · 2026-05-04

Ludovico Pratesi's book 'Contemporaneo 30×30. Trenta mostre in trent'anni' (Castelvecchi, 2019) recounts three landmark exhibitions he curated between 1992 and 2015. The first, 'Molteplici Culture' (1992) at Rome's Museo del Folklore, was co-curated with Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev and featured 25 international curators and artists including Damien Hirst, David Hammons, and Philippe Parreno. The second, 'Soltanto un Quadro al Massimo' (2003–2013) at Villa Massimo with director Joachim Blüher, paired German and Italian artists such as Georg Baselitz with Enzo Cucchi, Jannis Kounellis with Jörg Immendorff, and Rebecca Horn with Marisa Merz. The third, 'Shifting Identities' (2015) at MACRO Testaccio, presented 21 Finnish and Estonian artists exploring identity through video, photography, and installation. The book offers a personal account of curatorial practice and Italy's evolving art scene.

Key facts

  • Book published by Castelvecchi in 2019, 76 pages, €13.50.
  • Carolyn Christov-Bakargiev co-curated 'Molteplici Culture' in 1992.
  • 25 curators and artists participated in 'Molteplici Culture'.
  • Damien Hirst exhibited 'Elements that Swim in the Same Direction' (1991).
  • 'Soltanto un Quadro al Massimo' ran from 2003 to 2013 with 21 exhibitions.
  • Joachim Blüher was director of the German Academy in Rome.
  • 'Shifting Identities' featured 12 Finnish and 9 Estonian artists.
  • Exhibition catalog for 'Shifting Identities' published by Silvana.
  • Pratesi was artistic director of Centro Arti Visive Pescheria (2001–2017).
  • Book includes three exhibitions: 1992, 2003–2013, and 2015.

Entities

Artists

Institutions

  • Museo del Folklore e dei Poeti Romaneschi
  • Accademia Tedesca Roma (Villa Massimo)
  • MACRO Testaccio
  • Väinö Tanner Foundation
  • Castelvecchi Editore
  • Silvana Editoriale
  • Artribune
  • Cheap Thrills gallery
  • Istituto finlandese
  • Centro Arti Visive Pescheria
  • Fondazione Guastalla
  • Università IULM
  • C.P.C. di Marco Micangeli
  • Galleria Pièce Unique

Locations

  • Rome
  • Italy
  • Museo del Folklore, Rome
  • Villa Massimo, Rome
  • MACRO Testaccio, Rome
  • Helsinki
  • Finland
  • Tallinn
  • Estonia
  • Kassel
  • Germany
  • Castello di Rivoli
  • Paris
  • France
  • Piazza Sant'Egidio, Rome
  • Villa Lante sul Gianicolo, Rome

Sources