The topic of museum acquisitions returns to the center of the national debate with the presentation of the book Museum Acquisitions: ethics, practices and visions, edited by Valeria Arrabito and Ilaria Navarro, published by ICOM Italy in collaboration with Regione Lombardia. The book will be presented on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Sala Biagi of Palazzo Lombardia, Piazza Città di Lombardia 1, entrance N4, in Milan. The meeting, jointly sponsored by ICOM Italy and the Region, will also offer participants the opportunity to pick up a free copy of the publication. It is an appointment that is part of a broader context of reflection on the function of the contemporary museum and the role that acquisitions play in defining the cultural identity of the institution, today called upon to confront new ethical responsibilities and increasingly rapid social transformations.
The definition of museum proposed by ICOM in recent years has paid particular attention to the concept of heritage as a dynamic reality, constructed not only through the material assets that make up the collections, but also through the processes and communities that generate them. In this framework,collection augmentation is no longer considered a mere administrative task or a merely technical function, but a constitutive element of the museum mission. Acquisition means developing an active relationship with the present, interpreting history and orienting future memory. It is an operation that affects the identity of the institution and its ability to dialogue with different audiences, placing at the center the awareness that each choice represents a building block in the construction of the collective heritage.
The volume edited by Arrabito and Navarro addresses these issues with an approach that aims to combine operational concreteness and theoretical reflection. The authors propose an analysis that goes beyond the traditional perception of acquisition as a bureaucratic phase to show its strategic role within museum work. The book explores the ethical, legal, and administrative dimensions that define the responsibility of practitioners, offering an in-depth look at the regulatory environment and procedures governing due diligence, provenance verification, relationship with the market, and risk assessment related to illicit trafficking. It is a field in which the regulatory dimension is inevitably intertwined with the ethical one, especially when dealing with goods that cross sensitive histories, complex provenances or fragile geopolitical contexts.
The volume’s guiding question (what does “acquisition” mean for a museum today?) orients a path that develops from the ICOM Code of Ethics, an indispensable reference for museum institutions and professionals in the field. Acquisition, according to this perspective, is an act through which the museum builds its cultural identity, establishing a direct relationship with society. Choices regarding the expansion of collections are not only about what is added to the heritage, but also define a way of interpreting contemporaneity and returning it to future generations. It is an issue that involves cultural policies, sustainability strategies, the relationship with communities, and the increasingly active role of citizens in the life of institutions.
The Dec. 17 meeting will thus provide an opportunity to explore these issues and reflect on the role that acquisitions play in reshaping museum strategies. The event will take place within an institutional space, Palazzo Lombardia, home to many cultural initiatives and a symbolic place of regional governance. Organized with the support of ICOM Italia, an association representing the national committee of the International Council of Museums, the meeting aims to foster a broad discussion on the new horizons of the museum sector and the criteria through which institutions build, interpret and transmit their collections. All information can be found on the Icom website at https://www.icom-italia.org/presentazione-del-volume-acquisizioni-museali-etica-pratiche-e-visioni-in-collaborazione-con-regione-lombardia-milano-palazzo-lombardia-17-dicembre-2025/
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| Museum acquisitions between ethics and identity: ICOM presents its book in Milan |
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