Maria Grazia Messina on Art History, the Past, and the Future

Maria Grazia Messina, born in Rome in 1946, studied art history at Sapienza under Giulio Carlo Argan in 1969. She taught at Sapienza, Macerata, Pisa, Ca' Foscari Venice, and from 1997 at the University of Florence, becoming a full professor in 1994. Her research focuses on the gaze of historical avant-garde artists toward non-European arts, particularly from Africa and Oceania between 1890 and 1910. She cites influences from the New Art History (Michael Baxandall, Timothy J. Clark, Yves A. Bois, Georges Didi-Huberman) and Hans Belting's concept of the "death of art history." Messina views the past not as a burden but as a resource for the future, advising young scholars to avoid overspecialization and to think broadly. She considers the sacred inherent in life itself and expresses unease about a future dominated by digital prosthetics and mediated experiences. The interview is part of the "Futuro Antico" series by Ludovico Pratesi on Spazio Taverna.