Sgarbi defends Ferrara Arte leadership, attacks former councillors

Vittorio Sgarbi, the head of Ferrara Arte, has reacted to an open letter from former culture councillors Francesco Ruvinetti, Massimo Maisto, and another unnamed person, who called on Mayor Fabbri to reclaim the presidency and select a director. Sgarbi rebukes their request as uninformed, taking aim at Ruvinetti’s tenure as the sole administrator from 1996 to 2009 and Maisto’s political history. He defends the recent Banksy exhibition, which cost the comune €40,000, in contrast to the €750,000 De Nittis exhibition. Sgarbi also refutes claims of utilizing Palazzo dei Diamanti for his election campaign, reveals that Palazzo Schifanoia will reopen on March 12, and plans a sculpture exhibition at Castello Estense, intending to appoint Giovanni Sassu as acting director while accusing the councillors of spreading confusion and defamation.