by Redazione 08/11/2026
Categories: Books / Disclaimer
Now available in bookstores: *Images of Power: Art and Propaganda from Augustus to Trump*, the new book by Federico Giannini, editor-in-chief of *Finestre sull'Arte*, published by Giunti: In this volume, Federico Giannini traces over two thousand years of the history of propaganda through images, from the Ara Pacis to Trump and political communication in the digital age, covering the Middle Ages,
What do a marble altar commissioned by Augustus and Donald Trump’s political messaging have in common? One answer is offered in *Images of Power: Art and Propaganda from Augustus to Trump*, the new book by Federico Giannini (Massa, 1986), published by Giunti and released in bookstores a few days ago. The thesis is that images have always been instruments of power, control, and seduction, and that those in power have always used them to assert themselves, changing the means from time to time but not the purpose.
The book spans more than two thousand years of history. It begins with the Rome of Augustus and extends to the contemporary age and the digital era, examining the communication strategies of emperors, lords, popes, monarchs, totalitarian regimes, and political movements. Throughout this period, art has served various functions: legitimizing authority, constructing collective myths, and spreading ideologies.
One case study for each era
Each chapter is dedicated to an era or an emblematic case. It begins with the Ara Pacis and moves on to the communes of medieval Italy, to the Renaissance principalities, the Church of the Counter-Reformation, the art of the Napoleonic era, the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century, the postwar period, and finally to street art and the use of both traditional and new media through which those in power construct their image, disseminate their political ideas, and seek consensus.
Alongside paintings, sculptures, and monuments, the book therefore also examines the tools of modern communication: newspapers, posters, promotional ads, and social media. From the perspective of propaganda, images are all part of the same discourse, whether it’s an ancient relief or a video.
Art in Response to Power
The book, however, does not merely recount art placed at the service of those in power; in one chapter, it also addresses the tension between art as official propaganda and art as a tool of dissent: images can reinforce power, but they can also challenge it, and the exploration thus extends to counterculture and street art.
The approach is that of art history, but with a method—typical of Federico Giannini, who comes from a background in cultural journalism—that employs a recognizable, deliberately elaborate and rich, aimed not only at informing but also at creating a reading experience, and which views art history not simply as a discipline to be disseminated, but as a living subject to be interpreted, discussed, and, when necessary, challenged. His approach is that of a journalist-critic for whom art history should not serve merely to help us better understand the past but also to make us more aware of how the present constructs, manipulates, and sometimes forgets the past. The book is part of Giunti’s “Insiders” series, dedicated to in-depth journalistic exploration of topics related to art history, and addresses a highly topical issue.
The author, Federico Giannini
Federico Giannini, born in Massa in 1986, is a journalist and editor-in-chief of *Finestre sull’Arte*, the publication he founded in 2017 together with Ilaria Baratta and has led ever since. He has contributed to and continues to contribute to various magazines, including *Art e Dossier* and *Left*, and has taught cultural journalism at the University of Genoa and in courses offered by the National Order of Journalists. For television, he co-wrote with Daniele Rocca the documentary *Le mani dell’arte* (The Hands of Art), which aired on Rai 5, and was one of the hosts of the program *Dorian - L’arte non invecchia*(Dorian— Art Never Ages), also on Rai 5. He regularly speaks as a panelist and moderator at conferences on art, cultural heritage, and cultural journalism.
*Images of Power* is his second book published by Giunti. In 2025, he published *True, False, Fake: Beliefs, Errors, and Falsehoods in the Art World*, which explores disinformation in the art world. The new book addresses a related theme: in both cases, the focus is on images and the way they are used to shape what the public believes and thinks.
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| From Augustus to Trump: When Art Is Propaganda—Federico Giannini’s New Book Is Out |
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