small states on un-certain stereotypes
Canton Ticino (CH)
Interview to Marco Franciolli -
Director of Museo Cantonale Lugano. Ticino, Switzerland
Lugano, August 2008
MARCO FRANCIOLLI – The museum was inaugurated in 1987. Its main institutional task is the conservation, study and expansion of the collection. So we are active in the acquisition of works of art: historic works, when necessary to complete or enhance certain sections of our collec-
tion, but particularly works from the last fifty years, often through a direct relationship with the artists, and with
significant support from private collectors. In this regard, I’d like to cite the impressive donation of two hundred works from the Panza di Biumo Collection, which came to our institution in 1994. Our second institutional mandate has to do with the promotion of artistic knowledge, an activity
of cultural mediation that is carried out not just through exhibitions and publications, but through a series of
educational initiatives, with cycles of conferences, art history courses and guided tours.
RITA CANAREZZA – How do you envision the modern and contemporary art museum of the future?
MF – I think that the model should be that of a dynamic cultural facility capable of presenting the institution’s
contents to society, while keeping in mind the changes underway, which do not affect just aesthetics, but
the processes of cultural consumption, the experience of encountering work, and the evolution of languages. I think that the biggest challenge for museums, in coming years, will be posed by the changes brought by new technology and its application to the field of knowledge and culture. There may be traditional museums alongside other spaces that we will have to find a different name for, integrated elements of the cultural system, where there will be room for new forms of art and culture. (interview extract)
Canton Ticino (CH)
Interview to Marco Franciolli -
Director of Museo Cantonale Lugano. Ticino, Switzerland
Lugano, August 2008
MARCO FRANCIOLLI – The museum was inaugurated in 1987. Its main institutional task is the conservation, study and expansion of the collection. So we are active in the acquisition of works of art: historic works, when necessary to complete or enhance certain sections of our collec-
tion, but particularly works from the last fifty years, often through a direct relationship with the artists, and with
significant support from private collectors. In this regard, I’d like to cite the impressive donation of two hundred works from the Panza di Biumo Collection, which came to our institution in 1994. Our second institutional mandate has to do with the promotion of artistic knowledge, an activity
of cultural mediation that is carried out not just through exhibitions and publications, but through a series of
educational initiatives, with cycles of conferences, art history courses and guided tours.
RITA CANAREZZA – How do you envision the modern and contemporary art museum of the future?
MF – I think that the model should be that of a dynamic cultural facility capable of presenting the institution’s
contents to society, while keeping in mind the changes underway, which do not affect just aesthetics, but
the processes of cultural consumption, the experience of encountering work, and the evolution of languages. I think that the biggest challenge for museums, in coming years, will be posed by the changes brought by new technology and its application to the field of knowledge and culture. There may be traditional museums alongside other spaces that we will have to find a different name for, integrated elements of the cultural system, where there will be room for new forms of art and culture. (interview extract)