Genoa, superintendent suggests blocking art historians' rankings, minister jokes, "I would abolish art history"

During a meeting, held in Genoa, between Minister of Cultural Heritage Alberto Bonisoli and officials of the superintendencies, the superintendent of Liguria, Vincenzo Tinè, listed to the minister what he saw as some of the problems affecting the superintendencies. The first is the fact that, according to Tinè, the superintendencies have officials but instead lack staff to handle day-to-day tasks; the second concerns what Tinè sees as an overabundance of art historians at the expense of other profiles (such as archaeologists and architects). Tinè went on to suggest that the sliding of art historians’ rankings be stopped in order to draw on those of other profiles. Admittedly, the superintendent’s position is certainly debatable (and has already unleashed the wrath of art historians): however, instead of sparking a discussion, his words simply elicited a joke from the minister, who when confronted with Tinè’s remonstrances replied, “I would abolish art history, in high school it was a penalty.”

The problem, of course, is not the joke itself (it would be foolish to think that the minister really wants to abolish art history), but, if anything, the context, not least because it was the minister’s words as much as Tinè’s statements that aroused the art historians’ concerns. And for that very reason perhaps a relevant response to the superintendent’s solicitations, which we quote here in full, would have been more appropriate: “more than questions I would have addenda to the group on human resources. I think I speak for all colleagues in northern Italy. We have a fundamental problem of Area II, of assistants. Thanks to your predecessor we had the officers, but now we lack the troops: we don’t have anyone to answer the phone to people, to instruct files, to search the archives. I know that you have already moved and that a major competition has been called for Area II. Perhaps formulas could be found for temporary involvement of young people and many unemployed cultural heritage people who would gladly come and help out in the superintendency on a temporary basis, allocating resources to the superintendencies to get someone to help us out. So in Area II we need assistants, and the situation in museums is exactly mirrored: museums have directors but they don’t have custodians to open them. One more thing: Perhaps in the executive discourse, I would take the liberty of suggesting that we stop drawing from the art historians’ ranking list. The fact that there has been such an endless ranking of eligible people that ten years after the competition they are still eligible, while for archaeologists and architects it has been exhausted immediately for years, leads us to a situation where museums are totally in the hands of art historian managers. There is not a single archaeologist who is not a direct political appointee. If even the superintendencies begin to be invaded, with all friendship for very good colleagues, by art historians, the other profiles risk being cannibalized.”

And this is where Bonisoli stepped in with his quip, “I agree, I would abolish art history too. In high school, look, it was a pain for me, so I understand you and I share this deep discomfort. All joking aside, it is always very useful to have comments that even if they are not as expected are fine: it is part of the dialectic.” One must, if anything, wonder whether the minister’s joke was a way of expressing ironic opposition to Tinè’s position, or, as he himself suggested on his Facebook profile after criticism for the joke (which many misinterpreted), a way of “downplaying” his fatigue after a three-hour meeting. Then the minister, continuing the joke, then turned to another official who wanted to ask him a question, asking if she wanted to abolish chemistry. The full video of the speech is available at streamable.com.

Genoa, superintendent suggests blocking art historians' rankings, minister jokes, "I would abolish art history"

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