Genoa’s Palazzo Ducale has a new director: Ilaria Bonacossa, a Milanese art critic and curator, who returned to Liguria after a few years away to oversee Villa Croce, a significant contemporary art museum. This role laid the groundwork for her new venture, leading the most important cultural institution in the city, seat of the ancient Republic’s doge, and host of important exhibitions and conferences.
Enriched by her experiences, she takes on the mantle left by the previous director, Serena Bertolucci, but with a renewed focus on the contemporary and the digital. Bonacossa aims to bring attention to accessibility and research with two major exhibitions planned for 2024: the collective “Nostalgia” (from April 24th to September 1st, focusing on the Renaissance of Conceptual Art) and a spotlight on Berthe Morisot in the fall, commemorating the 150 years of Impressionism.
Photo @ https://cultura.gov.it/luogo/palazzo-ducale-di-genova (cultura.gov)
Genoa Mayor Marco Bucci welcomed the new director with a request: to elevate the cultural level of the city, positively influencing civic behaviors. A mission of great importance for the arts, aligned with what Bucci refers to as “the well-established growth path that Genoa is undergoing,” transforming into a city in tune with contemporary needs and the well-being of its citizens. It involves reviving Genoa as an art city. In this regard, Palazzo Ducale will play a significant role in implementing the recently outlined cultural program by the city administration, dedicating 2024 to the Middle Ages (starting with the Ianua event from February 11th to 13th) and focusing on the 2025 theme of the nineteenth century. Bonacossa promises to transform the art institution into a center for research, conservation, and dissemination, accessible and inclusive, to promote diversity and sustainability.
Beppe Costa, President of the Palazzo Ducale Foundation, who made the selection, describes her as “a significant presence in the area with the ability to engage with all cultural realities in the city.” With her background in contemporary art, Bonacossa is ready to engage in an intense dialogue with contemporary languages: “because through culture, we must help those who visit us decipher the world, representing the most urgent themes.”
However, the new director emphasizes the importance of preserving Palazzo Ducale’s intercultural and transtemporal vision, not losing the emotional connection with the audience. “An institution does not live solely on its history and programming but also on the affection people have for it.” The ultimate goal is to push Palazzo Ducale beyond its traditional elitist conception, transforming it into a square open to the city and the world, “following Genoa’s attitude that has always explored the unknown.”
Photo @Ilariamagliocchettilombi
To work on accessibility and inclusion, the first step is to invest in education and training for all age groups. Bonacossa’s previous involvement in the Museum of Digital Art project in Milan in 2022 has made her aware of the ongoing revolution, not only technological but also ethical and social, affecting everyone. She aims to use digital means (through phygital, physical, and digital experiences) to create art and foster an understanding of the world, intending to build conscious digital citizenship: “How else do we live when the idea of truth is under discussion?” During her tenure, she will also delve into the theme of the relationship with private entities, seen not only as a quest for economic resources but as an opportunity for new synergies for the growth of the public institution.