Sangiuliano: "For Buchmesse we will look for a pluralist and democratic figure"

Sangiuliano: "For Buchmesse we will look for a pluralist and democratic figure"


An event dedicated to contemporary art in one of the medium-sized Italian cities, somewhat as is already the case today with the "Capital of culture", a management of large museums that "must become small companies" by entrusting services such as catering, audio guides and support activities, but also a new tariff to use the image of Italian cultural heritage (again with the participation of private individuals) and a book voucher as a gift to families on the occasion of the birth of a child as well as interventions to help the libraries. These are some of the proposals made by the Minister of Culture Sangiuliano, who spoke in connection with the Trento Festival of Economics for a debate dedicated to the theme "Culture and Economic Development".

«Someone will turn up their noses but the big museums have to become small companies - said the minister -, the Uffizi or the Pompeii archaeological park are doing very well with extraordinary numbers. All these large sites must have a management model that must also be entrepreneurial, without renouncing the historical preservation of the site». In addition to the idea of ​​"diverting tourists from the big sites to other sites less known to the general public", Sangiuliano also calls for a review of the entrance fees to cultural sites. «The entrance ticket to the Uffizi cannot cost less than a pizza – he explained -. I think that when a person walks through a museum for a few hours, he comes out spiritually enriched. We must be aware of the value of culture».

The minister then returned to the question of the image rights of Italian cultural heritage. “There has been a gigantic fake news according to which we would like to make the researchers pay – he underlined -. I deny what people moved by political instrumentality have said. For those who do historical and art research, nothing is paid. However, if I sell a book that sells 200,000 copies and put an ancient vase from one of our museums on the cover, Donatello's David or a work by Giotto, it's only fair that we pay something to the state. Our intent was to charge for all that tasteless merchandising made up of T-shirts, mugs and glasses. Furthermore, it was a tariff from 30 years ago, it needed to be updated".

Speaking of publishing, however, Sangiuliano announced that he has new measures in the pipeline to "avoid the depopulation of bookshops from the historic city centers" by also intervening in the Municipalities and to open new ones in the suburbs by allocating non-repayable resources to young people under 35 who have attended special courses. "I've met some of them - he added - they are young people with a great passion". As for the Frankfurt Buchmesse 2024, after the resignation of Franco Levi as extraordinary commissioner, Sangiuliano said he was working to find «a high-profile person who can organize a presence that is pluralist, democratic and capable of representing all the experiences of the our publishing and our literature.



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