Eike Schmidt attacks Florence's contemporary art policy, Risaliti fires back

Outgoing Uffizi director Eike Schmidt, in a September 14 interview with Corriere Fiorentino, accused Florence of neglecting contemporary art and pursuing an expensive, misguided policy that favors established artists through major international galleries. Without naming him, Schmidt criticized Museo Novecento director Sergio Risaliti, calling the museum one of the least visited in Florence and questioning its curatorial criteria, while noting its director earns €120,000 versus staff earning €5 per hour. Schmidt also praised the private Casamonti museum as the only place to see great postwar art in Florence. Risaliti responded in La Repubblica and Artribune, calling Schmidt's statements inappropriate and factually ignorant, citing the museum's growth from 29,000 visitors in 2021 to 45,000 in 2022 and 30,000 in the first nine months of 2023, plus 300,000 collateral event attendees, and €800,000 in sponsorships against a €300,000 municipal investment. Risaliti defended the museum's programming, including exhibitions on Italian 20th-century drawing and sculpture, the Outdoor project bringing art into schools, and collaborations with local institutions. A cultural appeal led by Laura Lombardi, Marcella Cangioli, and Giovanni Iovane expressed solidarity with Risaliti and called for a higher level of cultural debate in Florence. The controversy is seen as politically charged, with Schmidt rumored to be a center-right candidate for mayor.