Artists demand open call for new MART director in open letter to Trento provincial government

A collective of contemporary artists from Trentino has addressed an open letter to the Provincial Council of Trento, urging the prompt initiation of a public competition to select a new artistic director for the MART – Museo d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea di Trento e Rovereto. Since Gianfranco Maraniello opted not to renew his position, the museum, designed by Mario Botta, has been without leadership. The situation is further complicated by the controversies surrounding President Vittorio Sgarbi, who was appointed in February 2019 and faced resignation demands from 43 staff members in March 2020 for minimizing the impact of COVID-19. The artists, including prominent names, stress the importance of appointing a new director to uphold MART's global mission, urging adherence to museum regulations. Diego Ferretti may be appointed internally by Sgarbi.