Opinions

Sgarbi Grinded Down by Sensationalist Journalism: What Happens When Investigative Reporting Becomes Entertainment?

I haven’t started—and I won’t start—keeping track of the media attacks accused of having torn down Vittorio Sgarbi’s public image: Ermes Antonucci has already taken care of that in *Il Foglio*, where he wrote an article—largely with...
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Are Art Fairs Devouring Galleries? The Paradox of Contemporary Art Supermarkets

At Art Basel in June, there’s always someone selling something important even before the fair opens. Not during the preview hours, which are already reserved for those who have proven they deserve access—such as collectors with a track record, ...
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Women's bodies, a battleground for rape and violence: Can art break the culture of possession?

*Susanna and the Elders* is not simply a painting; it is more of an omen. Artemisia Gentileschi painted it for the first time in 1610, without knowing that shortly thereafter, at just 17 years old, she would be raped. On May 6, 1611, she was, in fact...
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If culture is healing, it must be accessible to everyone

There is increasing discussion about the value of culture for people’s well-being. The recent memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Health, which paves the way for research into the effects of engaging ...
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Mahama's boats are arriving in Naples, but has the receivership forgotten about Plessi?

Fabrizio Plessi (1940 – 2026) inaugurated the newly restored Venice Pavilion in the Biennale Gardens in 2011 with a large and magnificent installation consisting of 12 vertical wooden boats, tilted by a few degrees, through which cascades of “e...
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Italian art is present on the international scene, but no one talks about it

I can certainly say that I have been a fairly regular participant and observer of the art world since the mid-1980s. I therefore believe I have a fairly consistent perspective over the medium to long term, but I am well aware that I am not in a posit...
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From the Connoisseur's Eye to Superintelligence: What AI Can Do for Art

In February 1909, in the Parisian newspaper *Le Figaro*, Filippo Tommaso Marinetti launched his famous challenge against the worship of the past, ushering in the 20th century with the Futurist Manifesto: “We affirm that the magnificence of the ...
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When the sale of a work of art—even if it is a one-time transaction—constitutes a tax offense

In Judgment No. 27479 of July 21, 2026, the Third Criminal Section of the Court of Cassation ruled on the delicate distinction between a private collector’s mere enjoyment of artistic heritage and the conduct of a commercial activity, even if n...
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Is it really Federico Barocci? The rediscovered portrait is dividing opinion and raising many doubts

If one were to go by the headlines, it would seem there are no major doubts regarding the authenticity of the *Portrait of a Young Man*, which was presented with some grand ceremony in the halls of the Ducal Palace in Urbino—which are under the juris...
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Culture Is Not a Deli: The Case of the State Archives of Naples

The recent finding by the Court of Auditors against the former director of the State Archives of Naples, Candida Carrino, which calls on her to compensate for a loss to the public treasury of 613,000 euros, which represents lost revenue resulting fro...
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Performance criticism has a problem: it continues to view the body as separate from the mind

Criticism of performance art has a fundamental problem: it continues to conceive of the body as if it were Cartesianly separated from the mind. For decades, bodily actions have been interpreted alternately as conceptual exercises—in which the mind us...
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Now even IKEA sells art. But art isn't just decoration: to understand it, you need a basic understanding.

The news making the rounds these days is that IKEA, the low-cost furniture giant, has created a line of artwork to be sold in its stores. Back in 2009, I had already coined the term “Evolved IKEA” to describe a whole series of artworks th...
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To understand countries, perhaps we need to stop thinking we already understand them

A tiny, probably long-forgotten anecdote: a few years ago, the town where I live was abruptly roused from its usual lethargy by a study that the regional government had commissioned from an engineer, a university professor, who had been asked to devi...
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How is artificial intelligence changing the art market?

In the contemporary art market,artificial intelligence has become an integral part of how the market is structured, how works are created, bought, sold, and even interpreted. This transformation is taking place not only in digital labs or at technolo...
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Antonello da Messina Without His Stolen Madonnas: Is the Italian Renaissance Being Truncated?

The Strait of Messina is unique in the world for its beauty and natural richness; it clearly surpasses the Bosphorus in quality of life, the Strait of Istanbul—which connects the Black Sea to the Sea of Marmara, is heavily trafficked, and unsuitable ...
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When the Theme Stifles Art: The Limits of Exhibitions... That Are Too Thematic

Until not too long ago, an exhibition didn’t need to justify itself. The works were there, and it was enough simply to look at them. The curator could intervene, of course, but his or her mediation was optional, not structural. There was not yet that...
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