The new year looks promising at Rome's MAXXI contemporary art museum, continuing under the leadership of Giovanna Melandri, who was reconfirmed for a five-year term as president, along with the MAXXI Foundation's entire Board of Directors, by Italian Culture Minister Dario Franceschini.
The year will see a retrospective on Italian architect Bruno Zevi, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of his birth, as well as a provocative show by Jennifer Allora and Guillermo Calzadilla titled "Blackout".
Photographer Paolo Pellegrin's striking images will go on display, as well as works from the young talents of the MAXXI Bulgari Prize.
Art in the age of artificial intelligence will feature in the show Low Form, while Africa is the centre of two exhibitions: Metropolis and Road to Justice.
A collaboration with Palazzo Barberini titled "Echo and Narcissus" will compare contemporary and ancient art.
Other shows are set to hit the road, including "Classic Reloaded" in Beirut and Tunis.
In addition, a large new location will open in L'Aquila, as part of efforts to renew the city, heavily damaged by an earthquake in 2009.
During the museum's last five-year term, it experienced a 40% increase in private funding alongside that of the Culture Ministry, which will increase to 14 million by the end of 2018, in comparison with 2012's seven million euros in funding.
Visitor numbers also grew in the last five-year period, to a total of 1.74 million overall, with 430,000 in 2017 alone.
Over the past five years, the museum offered 114 exhibitions, 1,841 cultural events and 2,472 educational activities.
At the same time, 168 new works were added to the museum's permanent collection.
That number is destined to grow, thanks to the Plan for Contemporary Art in the 2018 Italian budget.
It includes a two-million-euro contribution that will allow for opening the new location in L'Aquila, in the historic Palazzo Ardinghelli, whose restoration was overseen by the Italian Culture Ministry.
"More than a museum, MAXXI is a research laboratory with a strong social spirit," Melandri said.
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