Italian Court Upholds Foreign Museum Directors' Appointments

On June 25, 2018, Italy's Council of State definitively ruled that non-Italian citizens can legally direct state museums, ending a two-year legal battle. The case began in 2015 when Minister of Culture Dario Franceschini opened top museum posts to international competition. In May 2017, the Regional Administrative Tribunal of Lazio (TAR Lazio) annulled five appointments, arguing that Italian law barred non-Italians from public management roles. The Council of State temporarily reinstated the directors in June 2017, and the final ruling now confirms that European Union law overrides the 1994 decree (Dpcm 174) restricting EU citizens from managerial positions, except for roles involving authoritative powers like judges or police. The decision secures the positions of directors including Peter Assmann (Palazzo Ducale, Mantua), James Bradburne (Pinacoteca di Brera), Gabriel Zuchtriegel (Paestum), and Eike Schmid (Uffizi). Franceschini celebrated on Twitter, thanking both Italian and foreign directors. Sylvain Bellenger, director of Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte, expressed satisfaction, noting that Naples never made him feel foreign. The ruling also highlights the broader context of Italian professionals working abroad, such as Massimiliano Gioni (New Museum, New York) and Andrea Lissoni (Tate Modern, London).