Paolo Baratta has been confirmed as president of the Venice Biennale. The announcement came today from Lorenzo Ornaghi, Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities.
"After having consulted the municipality and local authorities of Venice and the positive data of the various events, I have decided to confirm Paolo Baratta as president of the Venice Biennale, confident that he will be able to confirm the prestigious results he has obtained". Ornaghi declared it to the Culture Commission of the Senate. His assignment officially expired on December 18th.
Baratta will then return to the command of the Venetian cultural institution, after the controversies that arose over the designation of Giulio Malgara (founder and president of Auditel) by the former minister Giancarlo Galan, right at the end of the Berlusconi government. In recent months, the mayor of Venice, Giorgio Orsoni, and 4.300 ordinary citizens and exponents of Italian, European and American culture have expressed themselves in favor of Baratta, who have signed an appeal for his confirmation in «La Nuova Venezia» .
Baratta wants to continue his project, especially the link with the territory. It will now be necessary to see what will happen to the leadership of the Venice Film Festival. The outgoing director, Marco Muller, was the only person in charge of a section of the Biennale not to sign in favor of Baratta. And Malgara, imagining his first moves, had instead taken his confirmation as certain.
