Five books on reading Italy's cultural heritage
A review essay by Marco Enrico Giacomelli presents five recent Italian publications that examine cultural heritage from different angles. Simone Verde's 'Le belle arti e i selvaggi' (Marsilio, 2019) traces the paradoxical reuse of ancient materials in medieval churches and the racialization of heritage under Fascism, linking art history and anthropology. Ettore Modigliani's 'Memorie' (Skira, 2019) recounts his dismissal as director of Brera due to racial laws, his curatorship of the 1930 Exhibition of Italian Art in London, and his subsequent isolation. 'Il tesoro più grande' (Fondazione Enzo Hruby, 2019), edited by Salvatore Vitellino, compiles data on Italy's monumental heritage with contributions from Eike Schmidt, Evelina Christillin, and others. Vera Canevazzi's 'Professione Art Consultant' (Franco Angeli, 2020) outlines the professionalization of art consultancy in Italy, potentially accelerated by Covid-19. Andrea Concas's 'Professione arte' (Mondadori Electa, 2020) offers a thematic, future-oriented taxonomy of the art system, positioned as a successor to Francesco Poli's classic text.
Key facts
- Simone Verde is director of the Complesso della Pilotta in Parma.
- Verde's book discusses the reuse of Roman and Greek materials in churches and the racialization of heritage under Fascism.
- Ettore Modigliani directed Brera from 1908 to 1935 and was superintendent of Lombardy from 1910 to 1935.
- Modigliani curated the Exhibition of Italian Art 1200-1900 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London in 1930.
- Modigliani was forced to retire due to racial laws and hid with his family by the sea.
- The Fondazione Enzo Hruby report includes contributions by Eike Schmidt, Evelina Christillin, Tiziana Maffei, Andrea Erri, and Luca Nannipieri.
- Vera Canevazzi's book argues that art consultancy may become more necessary in Italy after Covid-19.
- Andrea Concas's book is presented as a thematic successor to Francesco Poli's 'Il sistema dell'arte contemporanea'.
Entities
Artists
- Simone Verde
- Ettore Modigliani
- Emanuela Daffra
- Fernanda Wittgens
- Paolo Bacilieri
- Salvatore Vitellino
- Carlo Hruby
- Eike Schmidt
- Evelina Christillin
- Tiziana Maffei
- Andrea Erri
- Luca Nannipieri
- Vera Canevazzi
- Andrea Concas
- Francesco Poli
- Marco Enrico Giacomelli
- Adolfo Venturi
- Luigi Pigorini
- Giuseppe Bottai
Institutions
- Complesso della Pilotta
- Pinacoteca di Brera
- Royal Academy of Arts
- Fondazione Enzo Hruby
- Uffizi
- Fondazione Museo delle Antichità Egizie
- ICOM Italia
- Fenice
- Marsilio
- Skira
- Franco Angeli
- Mondadori Electa
- Artribune
Locations
- Parma
- Italy
- Milan
- Venice
- London
- United Kingdom
- Lombardy