The German art historian Eike Schmidt will be the new director of the Uffizi galleries in Florence. It is one of the innovations announced today by the Minister of Cultural Heritage, Dario Franceschini, at the conclusion of the international selection procedure for the directors of the 20 main Italian museums envisaged by the reform bearing the name of the minister himself.
The average age of the winners, informs a note, is 50 years. Out of 20, 10 are men and 10 are women. There are 7 foreigners, all EU citizens (3 Germans, 2 Austrians, 1 British and 1 French), 4 Italians returning from abroad (Bagnoli, Gennari Santori and D'Agostino returning from the United States and Degl`Innocenti from France). As for professions: 14 art historians, 4 archaeologists, 1 museologist/cultural manager and 1 cultural manager. An internal minister has also been appointed.
“With these 20 appointments of such great international scientific standing, the Italian museum system is truly turning the page and making up for a decades-delay”, declared Minister Franceschini in the note, underlining how the Commission chaired by Paolo Baratta “has done a great job, offering the General Director of the Museums of the Mibact, Ugo Soragni, and me the possibility of choosing among extremely valuable triads. The new directors are Italians, foreigners and Italians returning to our country after managing experiences abroad”.
“In the meetings I have had in recent months with the directors of the largest museums in the world and with many fellow ministers of culture - continues Franceschini - I have found great appreciation for the international selection procedure launched at the same time for our largest state museums. A historic step for Italy and its museums which bridges years of delays, which completes the ministry's reform process and which lays the foundations for a modernization of our museum system. This year's results of new policies for the opening of Italian museums and the investment in valorisation show that a great contribution can be made to the growth of the country with courageous choices both for better protection of the heritage and for its valorisation, for the citizens and tourists from all over the world”.
Here are the twenty new directors of the main Italian museums:
– at the Galleria Borghese (Rome) Anna Coliva, 62 years old, art historian.
– At the Uffizi Galleries (Florence) Eike Schmidt, 47, art historian, German.
– At the National Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art in Rome Cristiana Collu, 46 years old, art historian.
– At the Gallerie dell`Accademia in Venice Paola Marini, 63 years old, art historian.
– At the Capodimonte museum (Naples), Sylvain Bellenger, 60 years old, art historian, French.
– At the Brera art gallery (Milan) James Bradburne, 59 years old, cultural museum manager, British.
– At the Royal Palace of Caserta Mauro Felicori, 63 years old, cultural manager.
– At the Galleria dell`Accademia in Florence Cecilie Hollberg – 48 years old, German historian and cultural manager.
– At the Estense gallery (Modena) Martina Bagnoli, 51 years old, art historian.
– At the National Galleries of Ancient Art (Rome) Flaminia Gennari Santori, 47 years old, art historian.
– At the National Gallery of the Marches (Urbino) Peter Aufreiter, 40, Austrian art historian.
– At the National Gallery of Umbria (Perugia) Marco Pierini, 49 years old, art historian and philosopher.
– At the Bargello National Museum (Florence) Paola D`Agostino, 43 years old, art historian.
– At the National Archaeological Museum of Naples Paolo Giulierini, 46 years old, archaeologist.
– At the National Archaeological Museum of Reggio Calabria Carmelo Malacrino, 44, archaeologist and architect.
– At the National Archaeological Museum of Taranto Eva Degl`Innocenti, 39 years old, archaeologist.
– At the archaeological park of Paestum Gabriel Zuchtriegel, 34 years old, archaeologist, German.
– At the Palazzo Ducale in Mantua Peter Assmann, 61 years old, art historian, Austrian.
– At the Royal Palace of Genoa Serena Bertolucci, 48, art historian.
– At the Polo Reale in Turin Enrica Pagella, 58, art historian.
