Luciano Massari confirmed as director of Carrara Academy of Fine Arts

Luciano Massari (Carrara, 1956) has been reappointed director of theAcademy of Fine Arts of Carrara after the successes of his first term. A new three-year term at the helm of the institute is thus opening for the sculptor from Carrara: the program will follow the guidelines dictated by Massari since the beginning of his directorship and will therefore focus on the relationship with the city, international relations, and the improvement of teaching. That’s not all: the three-year period 2019-2022 will be under the banner of new spaces (also in agreement with private individuals, to increase the capacity and number of classrooms and laboratories), courses being activated (such as design for business or the cinematography course) of the museum dedicated to Antonio Canova, and the opening of a publishing house and a student house are also on the horizon (for the latter, work has already started, thanks to a private investment by a local entrepreneur: the idea is that a lived-in and participatory university institution is an asset capable of attracting investment).

In particular, the museum on Canova is likely to be the focus of attention in Massari’s next term: the Academy intends to enhance its collections, and it is in agreement with the Municipality of Carrara to be able to set up the museum in the restored Palazzo Rosso, in which the historic Gipsoteca, which holds thirteen plaster casts by Antonio Canova, as well as about thirty plaster casts by other artists working between the Neoclassical and Romantic eras (Lorenzo Bartolini, Carlo Finelli, Pietro Tenerani, Bertel Thorvaldsen and others) will be musealized.

Honorary titles will also continue to be awarded to international artists, such as Maurizio Cattelan and Jeff Koons (whose presence has created moments of great positive energy for the students involved in the projects and lectio magistralis): thus the cosmopolitan vocation of the Academy will be reconfirmed.

“With the second term,” said Luciano Massari, “I would like to conclude what I started 3 years ago, going in the direction of an Academy that is increasingly committed to a current educational process, while not forgetting the strong link with our history, that quickly welcomes the most innovative educational ideas, that knows how to keep its eyes open to the world by welcoming the changes of a global society as an opportunity for growth. That it constantly engages with contemporary languages and issues. I would like a welcoming academy that dedicates adequate space to excellent professionals such as those we have and that knows how to provide answers to the many doubts that grip students as they go through school. I will continue to strive for ever more innovative and constructive teaching. My desire, utopian perhaps, is to have a ”widespread“ Academy, a school in the shape of a city and a city in the shape of a school.”

Luciano Massari, a native of Carrara, has taught in various Italian academies and was director of the Albertina Academy of Fine Arts in Turin. As an artist he has exhibited in Italy and abroad. His production, which ranges from sculpture to video and photography, is characterized by a focus on climatic emergencies and an interest in natural elements, making use of various languages from environmental installation to the photographic medium. His works can be found in public and private collections.

Pictured: Luciano Massari

Luciano Massari confirmed as director of Carrara Academy of Fine Arts

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