Opinion & reviews

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• Italian Cultural Blindness to Other Religions Hinders Conflict Understanding opinion-review

  A reflection on Italy's cultural and religious landscape reveals a profound lack of knowledge about non-Christian monotheistic faiths, impeding public debate on conflicts such as…

• Italian art world rallies against boycott of Israeli art with open letter opinion-review

  Over 300 Italian artists, intellectuals, and peace advocates have signed an open letter opposing the boycott of Israeli art, specifically rejecting calls to exclude Israel from…

• Corporate museums: storytelling, identity, and brand positioning opinion-review

  Fabio Severino analyzes the communicative strategies of corporate museums in Italy, tracing their evolution since the 2007 publication 'Heritage Marketing'. These museums serve as…

• How Social Media Is Reshaping Art Exhibition Experiences opinion-review

  Social media platforms like Instagram and TikTok are fundamentally altering how audiences experience art exhibitions, according to an analysis by Giulia Zompa published in…

• Artribune proposes European federation of cultural newspapers opinion-review

  On January 22, 2024, in Turin, Massimiliano Tonelli, the editor of Artribune, suggested establishing a European federation of cultural newspapers to enhance collaboration and…

• Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli under fire for excessive loans opinion-review

  The Museo Archeologico Nazionale di Napoli (MANN) is facing criticism for its aggressive loan policy, which has left galleries empty while ticket prices exceed €20. A colossal…

• Surrealism at 100: A Pedagogy of Revolt opinion-review

  As Surrealism celebrates its 100th anniversary, having originated in October 1924 with André Breton's Manifesto, its significance is revisited through the lens of freedom. Walter…

• Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things' and the Question of Female Emancipation opinion-review

  So, there's this insightful review about Yorgos Lanthimos' film 'Poor Things' (or 'Povere Creature' in Italian), which is inspired by Alasdair Gray's book. The film has snagged…

• Italian Government Accused of Using Culture for Votes in Abruzzo Election opinion-review

  As the Abruzzo regional election approaches, the Meloni government is accused of instrumentalizing cultural funding for electoral gain. Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano…

• Mattarella Condemns Jorit's Selfie with Putin as Unauthentic Art opinion-review

  Italian President Sergio Mattarella, during a speech for International Women's Day 2024, criticized artists who pose with dictators, implicitly targeting street artist Jorit (Ciro…

• Artists and Critics Debate Animal Bodies in Contemporary Art opinion-review

  A roundtable discussion on Artribune, moderated by Santa Nastro, gathers artists, curators, and critics to examine the ethical implications of using animal bodies in contemporary…

• Christian Caliandro: Why Contemporary Art Fails to Respond to Reality opinion-review

  Christian Caliandro argues that contemporary art has become irrelevant in the face of current global crises, retreating into market-driven systems and losing its capacity to…

• Matteo Codignola on the Crisis of Books and Reading in Italy opinion-review

  In an interview with Artribune, writer and former Adelphi editor Matteo Codignola (born 1960 in Genoa) discusses the paradox of declining readership amid rising book production in…

• Feminist art and the persistence of patriarchy in Italy opinion-review

  Anna Detheridge reflects on the enduring relevance of feminist art criticism more than fifty years after the foundational writings of Betty Friedan, Juliet Mitchell, Germaine…

• Florence mural controversy: Nemo's work sparks political clash between Montanari and city council opinion-review

  A mural by street artist Nemo's, commissioned by Florence's city council for the Museo Novecento's residency program in via Palazzuolo, has ignited a political dispute. Art…

• Fellini's 8½: Symbolist Painting Meets Dante's Divine Comedy opinion-review

  Sabrina Crivelli analyzes Federico Fellini's 1963 film 8½, winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, focusing on its visual references to Symbolist painting and Dante's…

• Why the Israeli Pavilion at Venice Biennale Should Be Supported, Not Boycotted opinion-review

  Fiammetta Martegani opposes the idea of boycotting the Israeli Pavilion at the Venice Biennale, emphasizing the intricate nature of Israeli society. She references artist Maria…

• The State and Future of Art Criticism in Italy opinion-review

  A renewed debate on art criticism has emerged in Italy, questioning where, how, and when criticism should be practiced. The discussion moves beyond the traditional newspaper…

• Generative Art: From Code Art to AI Creations and the Need for a New Manifesto opinion-review

  The article explores the rise of generative art, tracing its origins to 1960s code art and examining its current proliferation through AI. Philosopher and psychoanalyst Miguel…

• Italian Art Education: Systemic Failures and International Models opinion-review

  Angela Vettese examines the shortcomings of Italian art education, highlighting that many successful artists do not have formal backgrounds from licei artistici and accademie.…

• Italian Cultural Industries Struggle to Scale Due to Fragmented Markets opinion-review

  Stefano Monti analyzes why Italy's cultural and creative industries (ICC) fail to expand, contrasting fragmented sectors like independent video game development and museum…

• Christian Caliandro argues beauty in art is a cultural regression opinion-review

  Christian Caliandro, an art historian and professor at the Accademia di Belle Arti di Firenze, argues that the return of beauty as a central value in contemporary art represents a…

• Controversy over unauthorized copy of Duchamp's 'The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even' at Centre Pompidou-Metz opinion-review

  A copy of Marcel Duchamp's seminal work 'The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even' (the Large Glass) is on display at the Centre Pompidou-Metz as part of the exhibition…

• Alice Rohrwacher's Cinema Analyzed Through Architecture and Set Design opinion-review

  An article on Artribune by Giovanni Manfolini examines how architecture and set design in Alice Rohrwacher's films convey narrative without paternalism. Born in Fiesole in 1981 to…

• Proposta di liceo pubblico-impresa per ridurre il mismatch formativo opinion-review

  Stefano Monti, partner di Monti&Taft, propone su Artribune un modello di liceo pubblico-impresa per colmare il divario tra formazione e lavoro in Italia. L'articolo critica…

• Art Criticism's Relevance in the Contemporary Art System Debated opinion-review

  Pericle Guaglianone argues that art criticism remains crucial for the art system, countering claims of its irrelevance. He disputes the notion that criticism is only useful when…

• The Return of Beauty in Contemporary Art Discourse opinion-review

  Christian Caliandro analyzes the recent re-emergence of the term 'beauty' in contemporary art discourse, focusing on its use during the press conference for the 2024 Venice…

• Yorgos Lanthimos' 'Poor Things' Explores Monstrous Femininity opinion-review

  Yorgos Lanthimos' film 'Poor Things', based on Alasdair Gray's 1992 novel, features Bella Baxter (Emma Stone) who undergoes a brain transplant from a fetus into an adult woman's…

• Three Books Reassess Postcolonial Modernism in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey opinion-review

  Three recent academic publications critically examine modernist art in Syria, Lebanon, and Turkey, challenging established narratives. Anneka Lenssen's 'Beautiful Agitation:…

• Italian culture's indifference problem opinion-review

  Nicola Lagioia, former director of the Salone del Libro, argues that the real threat to Italian culture is not political hegemony but a lack of ideas, planning, and investment by…

• Florence's Accademia director sparks controversy with overtourism comments opinion-review

  Cecilie Hollberg, director of the Galleria dell'Accademia in Florence, ignited a political firestorm after describing the city as a 'prostitute' overwhelmed by tourism during a…

• Cristiana Collu Reflects on Eight Years Leading Galleria Nazionale di Roma opinion-review

  Cristiana Collu, medieval art historian and director of Galleria Nazionale di Roma from 2016 to 2023, discusses her tenure in an interview with Artribune. Previously directing MAN…

• Italian politics and culture: a shared stagnation opinion-review

  The article examines the intertwined crises of Italian politics and culture, arguing that the focus on appointments and positions ("poltrone") by both government and opposition…

• Christian Caliandro critica l'amichettismo nell'arte contemporanea italiana opinion-review

  Christian Caliandro, in an editorial for Artribune, explores the concept of cronyism in Italy, particularly within contemporary art. He critiques the remarks made by Prime…

• Bolzano court ruling reignites debate on contemporary art authentication opinion-review

  A December 12, 2023 ruling by the Court of Bolzano has reopened debate on authenticity criteria for contemporary art, centering on the fragmented management of Gino De Dominicis's…

• Can Contemporary Art Find a Permanent Home in Museums of Ancient Art? opinion-review

  The article explores whether contemporary art can have a permanent place in museums of ancient art, following the continuity theorized by Giulio Carlo Argan. While Italy lacks…

• Archivi: come ripensare il loro ruolo nella società contemporanea opinion-review

  L'articolo di Stefano Monti su Artribune analizza la necessità di un profondo rinnovamento degli archivi, chiamati a scrollarsi di dosso l'immagine di 'polverosi templi della…

• Pandoro-Gate and the Art Market: Arbitrary Value Attribution opinion-review

  Luca Rossi draws parallels between the Chiara Ferragni Pandoro-Gate scandal and the contemporary art market, arguing that both rely on arbitrary value attribution. Ferragni's…

• Cardinal de Mendonça: Silence Will Be Declared Intangible Heritage opinion-review

  Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça, prefect of the Vatican's Dicastery for Culture and Education and head of the Vatican Pavilion at the 2024 Venice Biennale, predicts that…

• AI and the Collapse of Architectural Design Paradigms opinion-review

  Architect Davide Vizzini argues that contemporary architectural design, which relies on evoking memories and references, is on the verge of collapse due to AI. He identifies a…