Italian Council Is a Drop in the Desert

In your experience, which living Italian contemporary artists have achieved the greatest visibility abroad, and thanks to which factors (e.g., galleries, biennials, exhibitions, curators, etc.)?

Twenty years ago, we could have mentioned 20 or 30 artists; now the attention is focused on artists who register significant prices on the art market, such as Giuseppe Penone and Anselmo, but both are quite advanced in age. Among the younger generation, there is Maurizio Cattelan; otherwise, there is a large generational gap that we hope will be filled as soon as possible. Certainly, artists from the ’60s and ’70s have broader visibility, as shown by the success of the Italian Sales, but they are now considered classics and no longer contemporary art. The two preceding generations were more present abroad, but at some point, something changed — in a sense, we missed the train. Today, there are many young artists working abroad; this aspect must be taken into account, and probably these artists will develop their careers outside Italy, not only in Europe. We will only know if this happens in the future, in the coming years, but I think the chances are quite high. There are many very interesting artists around, but at the moment we are experiencing a sort of pause.

In your opinion, which contemporary Italian artists have not yet reached adequate visibility despite their artistic value, and what are the causes of this lack of recognition?

If we consider the causes, the lack of visibility is definitely also an institutional problem. For example, musicians are helped by various foundations that support talented young people after conservatory, even before starting an individual career or joining an orchestra. In other countries, there is greater attention to the visual arts, while for young Italians who attended academy there is very little support, and for mid-career artists even less. The alternative is to go abroad, and talented artists are finally doing so because it is the only option. Then, there are places that remain particularly interesting abroad — the USA continues to be so despite everything, and Berlin and London also remain important destinations. 

In your experience, what are the steps and elements that favor the international career of a contemporary Italian artist? And where is the Italian system lacking in supporting contemporary Italian art on the international stage?

Artists will not gain greater visibility through media promotion by critics, but only through projects. As a museum director, we have to try to host projects by younger artists. Indeed, we have done something at the Uffizi as well, but there is much to be done. In 2018, at the Uffizi Galleries, we conceived the Gran Turismo project with artist Giacomo Zaganelli, who lives between Florence and Berlin. But this is not all we need to do. Since we cannot provide the economic support necessary, there should be scholarships lasting two or three years, which exist in other European countries and definitely help. The Italian Ministry has established the Italian Council, but that is the only thing, and it is a drop in the desert.