Museo delle Civiltà in Rome to reopen with 80,000 sqm overhaul

The Museo delle Civiltà in Rome's EUR district, directed by Andrea Viliani, will present its reinstallation on October 26, 2022. The museum spans 80,000 square meters and includes the Museo delle arti e tradizioni popolari Lamberto Loria, the Museo preistorico etnografico Luigi Pigorini, the Museo di arte orientale Giuseppe Tucci, and collections from the former Museo Coloniale and ISPRA. On November 30, ISPRA's collection of 150,000 works—including animal fossils and lithomineralogical specimens—will reopen after 30 years. Viliani aims to transform the museum into a contemporary anthropological museum that critically examines its colonial and Eurocentric foundations. Over the next four years, the 'Grande Progetto Museo delle Civiltà' will reopen all sections, including Asian art collections, and initiate research fellowships with artists Maria Thereza Alves, Sammy Baloji, DAAR, Bruna Esposito, Karrabing Film & Art Collective, Elizabeth A. Povinelli, and Gala Porras-Kim. The museum will collaborate with Castello di Rivoli Museo d'Arte Contemporanea and curator Marianna Vecellio. A research group on colonial collections, including artist Francis Offman, will explore restitution. Viliani emphasizes shifting from 'patrimonio culturale' to 'matrimonio culturale'—practices of care, responsibility, sharing, and return. The museum's budget relies on PNRR funds, ArtBonus, and sponsors. The EUR district is accessible via Metro B, 20 minutes from Termini and Fiumicino.