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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