Alessandro Gallicchio is the new director of the Department of Art History at Villa Medici

Alessandro Gallicchio has been appointed the new director of the Department of Art History at the Academy of France in Rome - Villa Medici. He will fully assume the post as of April 21, 2025, taking his place within a historic institution that has been promoting scholarly research in art history with an interdisciplinary and international approach since 1970.

Born in 1986, Gallicchio is currently a lecturer in contemporary art history at Sorbonne University, a member of the André-Chastel Center and a research associate at CETOBaC. His academic background was developed through a doctorate from the universities of Florence, Paris-Sorbonne and Bonn, obtained in 2016. Her research is based on methodologies inspired by the social and political history of art, with a particular focus on the cultural processes that run through the artistic world.

At an early stage of his career, Gallicchio investigated the influences exerted by nationalism and anti-Semitism on the construction of artistic discourse. Later, he expanded his field of study by analyzing the ways in which the propaganda of totalitarian regimes is expressed not only in critical texts, but also through the organization of urban space. His attention to the material traces of Italian fascism in the colonized Balkan territories led him to an in-depth study of so-called dissonant heritages, observing the mechanisms of construction and interpretation of complex historical memories. Gallicchio thus focused his research on the processes of monumentalization and visual strategies adopted by colonialism, using conceptual tools from art geography and postcolonial theories. His current work focuses on the emergence of a new generation of painters, artists who develop a specific sensibility in the representation of Mediterranean and Balkan “urbanities,” a theme that reflects the continuous dialogue between historical memory and contemporary changes in urban landscapes.

In 2021 Gallicchio was awarded the André Chastel grant awarded by Villa Medici and, from September 2024 until April 2025, he is a fellow at the French Academy in Rome. His appointment as director of the Department of Art History is a natural continuation of his academic and scholarly commitment. The Villa Medici Department of Art History, founded in 1970 at the initiative of André Chastel, aims to foster research in all areas of art history. The Department promotes an interdisciplinary approach and supports international dialogue among scholars, with the aim of contributing to the knowledge and appreciation of artistic and cultural heritages.

In his new position, Gallicchio will be responsible for managing the scientific projects developed by Villa Medici, organizing cultural programming including conferences, study days and meetings, as well as editorial planning, with particular attention to the journal Studiolo. His responsibilities will also include the organization of exhibitions and the care of the art collections of which the Academy is the assignee or custodian, which include about five thousand works. He or she will also have to offer support and guidance to fellows and residents of the Academy during their stay, implement policies related to the archives and documentary holdings, and oversee the management of the library, which has more than thirty-eight thousand volumes.

The selection for the new director was entrusted to a committee composed of Brigitte Marin, director of theÉcole française de Rome, Dominique de Font-Réaulx, chargée de mission to the President of the Louvre, Antonella Fenech, assistant director of the Centre André-Chastel, Sam Stourdzé, director of the Academy of France in Rome - Villa Medici, Simon Garcia, secretary general, and Lavinia Triglia, head of human resources at the Academy.

The Academy of France in Rome - Villa Medici, founded in 1666 at the initiative of Louis XIV, has been based since 1803 in a 16th-century building located on the Pincio Hill in the heart of the Italian capital. The institution is a national public body under the French Ministry of Culture. Today it fulfills three main missions: to host high-level artists, creators and researchers for residential stays of varying durations; to propose cultural and artistic programming capable of integrating different fields of creation and addressing a wide audience; and to conserve, restore, study and enhance the architectural and landscape heritage of the Villa, as well as its historical collections. Currently directed by Sam Stourdzé, the Academy represents an important hub for culture and artistic research at the international level.

Alessandro Gallicchio is the new director of the Department of Art History at Villa Medici

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