“All poorer without culture” – time.news

by time news
from PAOLO CONTI

In the splendid setting of the Colosseum, Prime Minister Mario Draghi opened the summit. Minister Dario Franceschini: “Promote education and knowledge”

Mario Draghi observes the most beautiful round table ever organized in the history of the G20: table and chairs arranged on the stalls of the Arena del Colosseo, moreover at sunset. It is very hot, but a typical Roman breeze begins. He turns his gaze on the inside of the Flavian Amphitheater and smiles: «It is really a wonderful idea to find ourselves sitting here, look at the splendid light, I thank Minister Franceschini for the organization…».


And immediately enter into the merits of an appointment strongly desired by Italy to make debut, and to place culture in perspective forever, among the great economic nodes of the future of the planet. It is the first Ministerial of Culture ever organized in the G20 and bears the signature of Italy, underlines Draghi: «I am very proud that this debut will take place in Italy. History and beauty are integral parts of being Italian. When the world looks at us, it sees first of all art, music and literature. I want to thank those who work in our theaters, our libraries and our museums. The rediscovery of the past is a necessary condition for the creation of the future ». It is difficult to remember a prime minister who addressed an international assembly indicating culture as a driving force for recovery and development.


He does it as an economist, after having recalled many of our splendours considered World Heritage by Unesco: «Support for culture is crucial for the country to restart. The travel and tourism sector accounts for 13 percent of gross domestic product and employs three and a half million people directly or indirectly. In the National Recovery and Resilience Plan approved by the European Union, we are investing almost 7 billion euros in these activities ”. There is also a very clear, if not polemical, mention of the very serious crisis in the capital: «We intervene on the cultural heritage of Rome, from Cinecittà to the Appia Antica. The Jubilee of 2025 must be an opportunity for a profound and lasting relaunch for the city ». Draghi talks about sustainability, because the motto of this G20 Culture is People Planet Prosperity, People-Planet-Prosperity: «We must act now, so that the generations of tomorrow can enjoy the treasures we admire today. As co-chair of COP26 together with the UK, we are committed to reaching an ambitious agreement on global emissions. The results of the G20 on the Environment in Naples a few days ago are a step in the right direction and for this I thank Minister Cingolani ». In Italy, Draghi recalls speaking of climatic upheavals, “more than ten world heritage sites are in danger due to rising sea levels. The risk of floods threatens between 15 and 20 per cent of our country’s cultural heritage ”.


But he immediately claims the result of the transit ban for large ships in front of San Marco in Venice. He is next to the director general of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay, who praises the Italian choices after the threat to include Venice in the list of heritage at risk: “I wanted to congratulate the Italian government and in particular with Prime Minister Mario Draghi and Minister Dario Franceschini for the measures recently adopted to safeguard a treasure that we all love as Venice ».

Finally, a passage on the new generations; “We must allow our young people to free their energies and dynamism and promote the use of technology, for example in the digitization of archives and works of art so that Italy is, at the same time, a custodian of treasures and a laboratory of ideas; conservation must not be synonymous with inaction ».


It’s up to Franceschini (who listened to the international guests with the director of the Archaeological Park of the Colosseum, Alfonsina Russo) give the meaning of this G20 of Culture, decided in a key of global collaboration: “The pandemic has made even more evident how interdependent we are, how necessary it is that countries work together: global problems require global responses. The pandemic has also made us realize how much culture is the lifeblood of our lives. The empty squares, closed museums such as cinemas, theaters, libraries, have made our cities sad, dull. Now we know that culture will be the key to restart, the engine of innovative, sustainable and balanced growth ». Culture, in the vision of Italy, says Franceschini, is also an instrument of diplomacy “not only among the closest and most aligned countries, but among the most distant countries which, even in times of difficulty, must always find and keep open a space of dialogue. It is our belief that they can find that space in culture ».

Christian Greco, the “young director” of the Egyptian Museum in Turin, as presented by Franceschini, speaks of a “new digital humanism”, of places of culture that must be “perceived as laboratories of innovation, fundamental for the harmonious development of society”.

After opening to the Colosseum, yesterday evening another stop in the Italian splendor and once again in the sign of the new generations: delegations in the Quirinale gardens for the concert (broadcast live on Rai 1) by Riccardo Muti, at the helm of the youth orchestra «Luigi Cherubini». Founded by the maestro in 2004, it is composed only of instrumentalists under the age of thirty and was wanted by Muti as an instrument of connection between academic training and professional landing. Scheduled for the Symphony from the New World by Antonín Dvorák, another choice significantly aimed at the future.

Today, 30 July, at Palazzo Barberini, operational meetings on thematic focuses. The first will be on museums, on the crisis produced by the pandemic, on the digital transition and future prospects with Lorenzo Casini, head of cabinet to Minister Franceschini, and Alberto Garlandini, president of Icom, International Council of Museums. The second on the protection and restoration policies, therefore on the importance of the Italian school founded by Cesare Brandi, with Alessandra Marino, director of the Central Institute for Restoration, and Webber Ndoro, general director of Iccrom, International Center for Conservation and the restoration of cultural heritage. Third focus on young people and training, therefore on the training of new generations, on the School of Cultural Heritage and Activities Foundation, the international institute for training, research and advanced studies of the Ministry of Culture, with Alberta Pelino, G20 youth manager (founder and president of the Young Ambassadors Society) and Vincenzo Trione, president of the Cultural Heritage School Foundation. Finally, focus on the illicit trafficking of works of art, with Roberto Riccardi, general of the Carabinieri Command for the protection of cultural heritage, Jürgen Stock, secretary general of the Interpol-International Criminal Police Organization, and Ghada Waly, executive director of Unodc – United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime . The work ends today with a final unified declaration by the G20 ministers of culture.

The delegations “welcomed” by Titian

There was also the Portrait of Pier Luigi Farnese in armor by Tiziano to welcome the delegations of the G20 of Culture. The painting (1546) is part of the Farnese collection of the Museo e Real Bosco di Capodimonte. It was exhibited at Palazzo Barberini in the room intended for the Central Institute of Restoration where it is currently located to complete a restoration funded thanks to the “Revelations” project of the Italian Stock Exchange launched in 2018. Thanks to the Art bonus mechanism, three companies bells (Tecno, Pasell and Graded), all included in the Elite program of the Italian Stock Exchange, for companies with high growth potential, were able to finance both the diagnostic investigation campaign and the restoration. An integrated model of patronage, promoted and supported by the Capodimonte Advisory Board, which also led to the restoration of works by Bernardo Cavallino, Sassoferrato, Luca Signorelli. «I am particularly proud that ours Pier Luigi Farnese di Tiziano represent us in this first G20 of Culture », said the director of Capodimonte, Sylvain Bellenger.

July 30, 2021 (change July 30, 2021 | 09:50 am)

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