Villa Medici must become a platform for Franco-Italian exchange, argues Giovanni Lista

In an open letter published on Artribune, art historian Giovanni Lista argues against the closure and sale of Villa Medici, the French Academy in Rome, calling it a severance of French cultural roots. He criticizes the current residency model as colonial, with fellows isolating themselves from Italian intellectual and artistic life. Lista proposes mandatory exchanges: musicians teaching at Santa Cecilia, art historians lecturing at the Academy of Fine Arts, and artists exhibiting with Italian peers. He urges close collaboration with Italian institutions and the ministry to revive Franco-Italian dialogue. Lista contends that Rome is no longer an open-air museum, as Quatremère de Quincy once said, and that fellows must engage actively with the local context. He suggests the Prix de Rome become a Franco-Italian prize, with regular public presentations before Italian audiences. The letter references Stendhal's critique of French analytical excess and the corrective role of Italian sensuality. Lista, a Paris-based scholar since 1969, has authored numerous publications on avant-garde movements.