An art historian at the head of culture in one of the most important cities in Europe: James Montanari is in fact the new cultural councilor of the City of Genoa. He will therefore be the. cultural right-hand man of the new mayor Silva Salis. Born in Genoa on June 13, 1984, Montanari managed to impose himself at the last minute in the selection among several strong candidates, including former Pd city secretary Simone Farello, and other names in circulation such as Marco Montoli, Massimiliano Morettini, and Marco Ansaldo, who, however, were not given any delegation in the city council. Laura Sicignano and Serena Bertolucci had also been mentioned at the preliminary stage, but in the end the choice fell on the profile of the young art historian and popularizer, known for his research work on Ligurian art history, for being theinventor and the scientific director of Rolli Days, the event that for several years has been opening the doors of Genoa’s historic palaces and in each edition always registers a sold-out crowd, and for having edited in 2023, together with the then director of Palazzo Ducale, Serena Bertolucci, the dossier that won Genoa the title of Italian book capital for that year.
A name, Montanari’s, that is transversal: in fact, he was already coordinator of the Table of Culture of the City of Genoa, a position he obtained under the Bucci junta, which was of the opposite political sign from the one led by Salis. Montanari therefore enters the junta with the aim of promoting a season of cultural and scientific enhancement, set on academic expertise and dissemination skills, of all forms of culture. His appointment draws attention, especially because of his profile as a popularizer born and raised in Genoa, known for his commitment to Liguria’s artistic heritage and ability to dialogue with a wide audience.
“Being up to the task-as an art historian-to play such a decisive role for the city I’m afraid is not easy and I can only guarantee, if the word is worth anything, that I will do my best to be ready to put myself at the service of the city,” Montanari said through his Facebook profile. “But if there is one thing I have learned, it is that you don’t change reality with triumphal marches or fanfare: it is the small daily gestures, the care, the careful look at small things, at realities that perhaps-in the great cauldron of our hyperconnected society-seem insignificant. I have always studied and will continue to do so, because studying is an act of enormous and continuous humility in recognizing that we do not know enough to carefully define what is around us. The knowledge is that, fortunately, I can sit on the shoulders of giants so that I can begin to take the first steps and continue to question the ’it has always been done this way’ and replace it with ’from today we will do better.’ All this, if I may, with a straight and honest look at those who will have to change this city in the future: the young people. Not only as ’users’ of culture, but as builders of culture, through their professionalism, their vision, their experiences. To them and to the immense and amazing heritage of this incredible city I will dedicate these five years of work, hoping to benefit from the hands, heads and hearts of all citizens.”
Montanari began his education at Liceo Classico Colombo in Genoa, immediately devoting himself to ancient letters and a solid literary education. After graduating in Classical Literature, he received his master’s degree in Art History and Artistic Heritage Enhancement from the University of Genoa in 2010. Soon after, he undertook a doctorate in History and Conservation of Cultural Heritage. In 2018, he obtained the National Scientific Qualification as a second-rank university professor in Art History and, since November 2020, he has been a researcher at the DIRAAS Department of the same university.
A specialist in Ligurian art, he teaches “History of Modern Art” in courses for Conservation of Cultural Heritage and “Image Education” in Education Sciences. He is also among the founders of d:cult, a specialization course in popularization of cultural heritage of Ianua, the School of Specialization of the University of Genoa. Since December 2020, he has been a member of the Scientific Committee of the Museum of Palazzo Reale in Genoa, appointed by the City Council; since 2017, he has also been the scientific director of Rolli Days, a biannual cultural event dedicated to the UNESCO Genoese palaces.
Montanari has developed a research career articulated in three main strands. During his doctorate, he conducted studies that highlighted the relationship between book and figurative culture in Genoa between the 16th and 17th centuries, culminating in the publication Libri Dipinti Statue. He has analyzed aristocratic collecting and important fresco cycles, including those by Luca Cambiaso, also presented at Cambridge in 2018.
Since 2014 he has promoted an in-depth study of Giovanni Andrea Carlone, culminating in a conference in 2015 in Perugia and with a volume planned for 2021, supported by collaborations with the Ministry of Culture and Fondazione Marini Clarelli Santi. In parallel, he has devoted himself to the study of seventeenth-century sculpture, highlighting figures such as Tomaso Orsolino, active in Genoa and Pavia, a sculptor of the first half of the 1600s, and Ercole Ferrata, whose early works he has documented. He also attributed a marble bust of Seneca to Giuliano Finelli of Carrara exhibited in the Prado.
During the pandemic he spearheaded the digitization of cultural activities with Rolli Days Digital Week, an online event that reached an audience of more than one million users, and a hybrid edition in 2020 with 12,000 in-person attendance and 600,000 online views. In December, he experimented with new digital formats on the theme of nativity scenes in the Rolli palaces, garnering nearly 1.5 million views. In 2023, together with Serena Bertolucci, then director of the Palazzo Ducale, she edited the dossier that enabled Genoa to win the title of Italian book capital.
With Montanari’s appointment at the head of culture, the junta of newly appointed Mayor Silvia Salis is banking on an authoritative profile with both scientific credentials and a proven ability to engage the public, institutions and young professionals. Her experience in promoting national events, her collaboration with cultural institutions such as MiBACT, universities, historic buildings and foundations, and her international activities guided the junta in choosing her name, with the aim of designing innovative cultural strategies at the city and metropolitan levels.
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| Art historian Giacomo Montanari is Genoa's new councillor for culture |
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