Italian Museum Closures: Crisis in Contemporary Art Institutions
An investigation by Artribune in 2018 highlights a deep-rooted crisis within Italian contemporary art museums, pointing to issues such as closures, lack of funding, and poor governance. Villa Croce in Genoa temporarily shut its doors on January 18, 2018, due to inadequate income from Open s.r.l., reopening the following day with local staff but experiencing further cuts by March 1. Curator Anna Daneri linked these challenges to a 2016 decision to outsource and subsequent funding reductions. The EX3 center in Florence closed in June 2012 after hosting 16 exhibitions, following the withdrawal of private sponsors. The GC.AC. gallery in Monfalcone halted its contemporary programming after director Andrea Bruciati left in 2012. The Franceschini reform (2015-2018) sought to grant autonomy to 30 museums but was criticized for focusing on revenue generation over preservation.
Key facts
- Villa Croce in Genoa closed on January 18, 2018, due to Open s.r.l. halting services.
- EX3 Florence closed in June 2012 after 16 exhibitions and 60,000 visitors.
- GC.AC. Monfalcone ceased contemporary art programming after 2012.
- Franceschini reform made 30 museums autonomous, increasing visitors by 11% and revenue by 14.5%.
- 80 academics criticized the reform for prioritizing revenue over preservation.
- Italy has 4,588 museums, with 1.5 per 100 sq km and one per 13,000 inhabitants.
- State museum visitors rose 31% from 2013 to 2017, revenue up 53%.
- Minimum quality standards were introduced in February 2018.
- Andrea Bruciati became director of Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este.
- Anna Daneri co-curated 'Vita, morte, miracoli' at Villa Croce opening February 22, 2018.
Entities
Artists
- Carlo Antonelli
- Anna Daneri
- Stefano Arienti
- Renato Boero
- Elisa Montessori
- Anna Oberto
- Luca Vitone
- Lisetta Carmi
- Franco Mazzucchelli
- Corrado Levi
- Claudio Costa
- Aurelio Caminati
- Christian Tripodina
- Francesca Serrati
- Lorenzo Giusti
- Arabella Natalini
- Sergio Tossi
- Eva Comuzzi
- Andrea Bruciati
- Gianfranco Maraniello
- Lorenzo Balbi
- Matteo Renzi
- Elena Serafini
- Elena Piazza
- Franceschini
Institutions
- Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Villa Croce
- Open s.r.l.
- EX3 Toscana Contemporanea
- GC.AC. – Galleria Comunale d'Arte Contemporanea di Monfalcone
- Villa Adriana
- Villa d'Este
- Museo del Novecento
- MAMbo
- Centro Pecci
- Macro Asilo
- Museo Richard Ginori
- Fondazione Garrone
- Aeroporto Firenze
- Officine Panerai
- Caffè Corsini
- Calvin Klein
- Il Gufo
- Convivium
- Credito Artigiano
- Banca CR Firenze
- Ente Cassa di Risparmio di Firenze
- Farrow and Bowles
- Florens
- Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi
- Maggio Musicale
- Fondazione della Pergola
- Gabinetto Vieusseux
- Moroso
- Mibact
- ICOM
- Artribune
- Isisuf – Istituto Internazionale di Studi sul Futurismo
Locations
- Genoa
- Italy
- Florence
- Monfalcone
- Tivoli
- Milan
- Bologna
- Prato
- Sesto Fiorentino
- Cinisello Balsamo
- Rome
- Naples
- Caserta
- Turin
- Venice
- Lazio
- Campania
- Tuscany
- Liguria
- Puglia
- Friuli Venezia Giulia
- Gavinana
- viale Giannotti
- via Ruffini