Curator Gabriele Simongini defends Futurism show against Marinetti family criticism

Gabriele Simongini, curator of "Il tempo del Futurismo" at the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) in Rome, has responded to criticism from Leonardo Clerici Marinetti, grandson of Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. Simongini explained that a proposed room dedicated to Marinetti was rejected due to Clerici's demands for a substantial fee, refusal to accept curatorial input, and an extreme personal interpretation linking Marinetti to Islam and the Quran—a view not shared by leading scholars such as Giovanni Lista, Claudia Salaris, and Gino Agnese. The exhibition, which opened on December 2, 2024 (the 80th anniversary of Marinetti's death), features over 160 books, magazines, manifestos, and documents, including a rare original of "Zang Tumb Tumb" and recordings of Marinetti's voice. It has attracted 100,000 visitors, a record for GNAMC since the Van Gogh exhibition in the 1980s, and has been extended to April 27, 2025. Newly added works include Luigi Russolo's "Profumo" (1910) from Mart Rovereto, Umberto Boccioni's "Studio per la città che sale" (1910) from Palazzo Citterio/Brera, and Carlo Carrà's "Ritmi di oggetti" (1911), also from Palazzo Citterio. Simongini noted that Clerici had not visited the show, which he plans to see on its last day.