Roberto Ago's Critique of Italian Art's Stalled Historiography

Roberto Ago, a visual critic and philosopher, publishes a three-part essay on Artribune diagnosing the failure to historicize Italian contemporary art from the 2000s and 2010s. He argues that no consensus exists on the value of artists from these decades, unlike earlier movements such as Arte Povera or Transavanguardia. Ago identifies a 'limbo of notoriety' where artists like Icaro, Nannucci, and Garutti remain unrecognized internationally, while critics and curators evade responsibility. He cites the anonymous critic Luca Rossi as a symbolic figure of this crisis, noting Rossi's 2009 emergence as a public castigator. Ago calls for a new critical approach to select and promote artists, referencing Germano Celant and Achille Bonito Oliva as models of solitary initiative. The essay includes a list of over 30 Italian artists and critiques the lack of institutional support, the proliferation of mediocre talent, and the failure of the art system to distinguish quality. Ago's text is part of a series titled 'Lezioni di critica' and appears in the context of Artribune's newsletters and social media channels.