Italian Museums Close Due to Coronavirus Outbreak, Following Asian Precedents

On February 25, 2020, Italy enacted extensive cultural closures in response to the Coronavirus outbreak. In Venice, all museums, including the Peggy Guggenheim Collection, Palazzo Grassi, and Punta della Dogana, were closed, leading to an early end of the Venice Carnival. Turin saw the cancellation of Massimo Vitali's exhibition at Museo Ettore Fico, and a discussion between collector Uli Sigg and artist Ai Weiwei was moved online for the launch of 'Facing the Collector: the Sigg Collection of Contemporary Art from China' at Castello di Rivoli. Milan's civic museums, the Duomo cathedral, and La Scala opera house remained shut until the end of the month, alongside Reggio Emilia's Collezione Maramotti. Similar actions were taken in South Korea and Iran, while Art Basel Hong Kong was canceled, and openings for X Museum and He Art Museum were delayed in China and Hong Kong.