Who is Marco Turini

If archaeology becomes a political tool. On Egypt's parade (and more)

Archaeology has never been so public. So public that it recently became a show when the mummies were transferred from the Egyptian Museum in Cairo's Tahrir Square to the National Museum of Egyptian Civilization. A show to be consumed from the a...
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There will be no reopening of museums without economic sustainability and professional prospects

The recent More Museum conference, The Future of Museums between Changes and New Scenarios, was the occasion for a long-awaited and much-needed discussion among the protagonists of the Italian museum and cultural scenario. From the Minister o...
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If Brexit says goodbye to Erasmus.

My first memory aboutErasmus is very practical in nature. As soon as I landed at Heathrow with my stunted English I had to change four means of transportation to get to the small town of Egham, a stone's throw from Windsor Park. I would ask pract...
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From container to content. Still doubts about the "Netflix of Culture"

Doubts are piling up as Minister Franceschini's proposal for a "Netflix of Culture" takes shape. The much rumored project now becomes a discussion table between the state, investors and possible partners. One of these is the homegrown, but alas littl...
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What it's like to visit an exhibition in the pre-lockdown. Treasures of Etruria at the National Archaeological Museum in Florence

It is almost 7 p.m. as I pass through the half-empty streets of the city. The new dpcm mandating the closure of theaters, cinemas and restaurants after 6 p.m. is already bringing its effects on urban sociality. The long shadow of the lockdown i...
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From museums to protest sites. A signal to be heard

A few months ago, Congolese Mwazulu Diyabanza attempted to steal an African artwork from the Musée du Quai Branly along with some activists. This was to express his political dissent against the colonial exploitation of his country of origin tha...
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What does politics have to do with museums? ICOM: new definitions but old institutions

What does politics have to do with museums? The reconstruction of the past as well as its musealization is itself a political act. Just as the British Museum or the Pergamon Museum were born to glorify a not-so-distant imperialist period, today m...
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Receptionists will be critical in phase 2 of museums: don't economize on them

The curtain that has fallen in recent weeks on the world of culture is not enough to hide the economic and structural crisis that all companies and institutions operating in the sector have been facing. Beginning with museums, which have not only...
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