Italian culture needs managers, not just 'beautiful souls'
Italy's cultural sector suffers from a lack of managerial skills, argues Stefano Monti in an opinion piece on Artribune. He criticizes the prevalence of 'beautiful souls' who defend culture against commodification but fail to address structural issues. Monti highlights the overreach of the public sector in management and valorization, and the confusion between cultural and managerial roles. He compares the situation to other industries where CEOs are not necessarily experts in the core business. The absence of professional management leads to homogenized cultural production and an elitist, self-referential system. Monti calls for a separation of roles and a focus on sustainability, audience demand, and cost management, citing the need to make opera, museums, and libraries more viable and relevant.
Key facts
- Italy's cultural sector lacks managerial capacity, leading to homogenization.
- The public sector has an interventionist role in cultural management.
- There is an indifference to roles and skills within the cultural system.
- Cultural managers are often not distinguished from cultural experts.
- The non-profit model is a recent invention that separates intelligentsia from merchants.
- Monti argues that listening to demand would expand, not reduce, cultural offerings.
- The absence of managerial skills makes culture self-referential and elitist.
- Monti is a partner at Monti&Taft, active in management and advisory for cultural enterprises.
Entities
Artists
- Stefano Monti
Institutions
- Artribune
- Monti&Taft
- Ferrovie dello Stato
- ITA
Locations
- Italy