Who is Francesco Stocchi, leafy and new artistic director of Maxxi

Good morning starts in the afternoon or maybe even in the evening. Because inside the Maxxi, the unfortunate, complicated, often botched museum of twenty-first century arts, in theory the most important state museum of contemporary art in Italy, too many mornings and too many afternoons have gone by without ever being able to give it a true identity and a true reputation. Now, finally, something changes. Balkanized institution since its inception, it has never found its own voice or unitary artistic line. Now Alessandro Giuli has pulled out of his hat an artistic director who, if given the freedom and power to build his vision in synchrony and harmony with the national and international context, could transform Maxxi into what it should have been for a while: a credible and constant interlocutor capable of competing with the great museums of the world from the Tate in London to the Ucca in Beijing, perhaps passing through the Moma in New York. I’m talking about Francesco Stocchi, born in 1975, head of the art insert of this newspaper, new artistic director of Maxxi. Important role, which will require a lot of energy, concentration, courage and zen calm. He will have to defend himself from local influences and ministerial prompters by respecting them but keeping them at a distance. The reputation of a serious museum is built, in Italy in particular, more knowing how to say no than yes (the Maxxi in the past was more an art Airbnb than a real museum).