Linking 20th and 21st century arts
Rome’s National Museum of 21st Century Arts
MúzeumCafé 47.
It will soon be five years since the National Museum of 21st Century Arts (MAXXI) opened in Rome. The fact that a new museum in a new building has been established in the Italian capital is of great significance. Rome is a city where both the locals and the 12 million or so tourists visiting the capital each year are almost exclusively interested in the city’s ancient, medieval, Renaissance and Baroque heritage, and the general opinion is that this is quite enough and no new attraction is required. Thus relatively few new, state-financed modern buildings (and even fewer museums) have appeared in the city. The last ten years have seen almost no architectural – centrally financed – initiatives. Moreover, whatever has appeared has generally faced strong opposition. Nevertheless MAXXI has been a success. Rome has always been noted for its firm opposition to modern architectural trends, and modern buildings which have appeared have always generated strong criticism on the part of politicians and citizens alike. Gianni Alemanno, Rome’s right-wing mayor who was elected in 2008, was a strong proponent of the view that Richard Meier’s Ara Pacis Museum should be demolished. Astonishingly, this almost led to a referendum on the issue. The real Roman detests modernism, believing it’s something better suited to New York or London. Despite Italy’s outstanding schools of architecture and several centuries of architectural experience, countless talented young designers have emigrated and are working abroad. The name MAXXI is a pun. The Latin numeral it contains, XXI, refers to the 21st century, whose art and architecture the institute aims to collect and display. Its mission is to be “a laboratory of artistic experimentation and creation, providing a platform for different contemporary styles”.