Umberto Croppi appointed president of Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma

Umberto Croppi, born in Rome in 1956, has been named president of the Accademia di Belle Arti di Roma, succeeding Giuseppe Carmine Soriero for a three-year term. The appointment was formalized by a decree signed by Minister of University and Research Anna Maria Bernini, following evaluation of other candidates: Professor Simonetta Buttò, lawyer Maria Spena, and architect Giuseppe Carmine Soriero. Croppi's priorities include expanding spaces in the former Mattatoio, already partially converted into classrooms and labs, to accommodate growing enrollment and course offerings. He also aims to strengthen collaborations with municipal and regional institutions, such as the Auditorium for the upcoming Musica per Roma initiative, and to establish a dialogue with Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma, where he served as president in 2019. During his Quadriennale tenure, he dedicated the entire ground floor of Palazzo delle Esposizioni to academies for the 2020 edition. Croppi emphasizes the valorization of the academy's historical archive, which he considers a custodian of Italian artistic-cultural knowledge, and plans to make it accessible to the public. His background in communication and cultural management will guide these efforts.