Time Is Out of Joint: Radical Overhaul of Rome's Galleria Nazionale Sparks Debate

The Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna in Rome (formerly GNAM) has undergone a radical restructuring under new director Cristiana Collu, reopening with the exhibition 'Time Is Out of Joint' featuring some 500 works displayed without chronological or school-based organization. The whitewashed walls and thematic juxtapositions have drawn criticism: two members of the scientific committee resigned, and a third wrote an open letter to the culture minister warning of incomprehensibility for non-expert audiences. The exhibition runs until April 2018. Critic Luca Arnaudo reports mixed reactions from a small sample of visitors: a jurist felt 'lost,' an architect was 'dismayed' by a damp wall weeks after renovation, a translator called it 'a patchwork,' and two preschoolers enjoyed a 'broken machine' near an ivory statue. Arnaudo critiques the curatorial approach as relying on facile visual connections (e.g., Monet's water lilies next to Luca Rento's lightbox, or Rento's cow photo beside Segantini's pasture) and theatricality lacking the subtlety of Carlo Scarpa's exhibition design. He contrasts 'divertimento' (amusement with learning) with 'intrattenimento' (mere distraction), suggesting visitors must find their own anchors until the show closes.