Collezione Farnesina: Italian Contemporary Art as Cultural Diplomacy

Founded in 1999 by Ambassador Umberto Vattani with critic Maurizio Calvesi, the Collezione Farnesina at Rome's Palazzo della Farnesina (Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs) uses contemporary art as a tool for cultural diplomacy. The collection operates on a free loan system, allowing dynamic growth without purchases. It now comprises nearly 500 works by over 250 artists, including masters like Alberto Burri, Lucio Fontana, Jannis Kounellis, and younger talents such as Oriana Persico and Salvatore Iaconesi. Works travel to Italian Cultural Institutes worldwide and international museums. In July 2019, twenty new acquisitions were presented during the XIII Conference of Italian Ambassadors. Recent additions include works by Gastone Novelli, Ettore Colla, and Nanda Vigo. A digitalization project with Google Arts & Culture is underway. A board game based on the collection, developed with Lucca Crea, will launch at Lucca Comics and Games in October 2021. The collection also publishes the scientific series 'I Quaderni della Collezione Farnesina' and offers a free digital colouring book for children.