Italian Art Leaders Propose Post-Pandemic Digital and Structural Reforms

Sylvain Bellenger, director of Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte in Naples, and Sergio Risaliti, artistic director of Museo Novecento in Florence, published an open letter on Artribune urging the Italian government to overhaul the country's cultural sector in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. They argue that the crisis has accelerated digitalization in museums, galleries, and archives, revealing the potential of technology for communication, education, and democratic access to culture. The authors call for modernizing recruitment methods at the Ministry for Cultural Heritage (Mibact), which they describe as archaic and talent-penalizing. They propose creating regional investment funds modeled on France's FRAC (Fonds Régionaux d'Art Contemporain) to support contemporary art production, conservation, and research, along with tax incentives for artists, galleries, collectors, and sponsors. Bellenger and Risaliti emphasize the urgency of protecting all artists, especially the 90% without gallery representation, and stress that art is Italy's 'exception' that must be recognized nationally. They warn that the pandemic is a civilization crisis that will exacerbate economic inequality and ecological challenges, and that culture must play a central role in shaping a new social, economic, and ecological model. The letter concludes with an appeal to museum directors, gallerists, collectors, and patrons to demand a major national investment plan for contemporary art.