Situation vacant: Directors for Italy’s top museums

People looking at a display at the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy. — ©2023 The New York Times Company

FOR the past several weeks, dozens of candidates have been facing a five-person committee in a dark, book-lined room at Italy’s Culture Ministry, hoping to convince the panel that they should be selected to direct some of Italy’s top museums, including the Uffizi in Florence, the Capodimonte in Naples, the Brera in Milan and seven others.

Ten candidates are up for each job. The committee will whittle each list down to three, based on the interview and the candidates’ knowledge of a host of issues – new technologies, cultural heritage legislation, sponsorship opportunities – as well as their vision for each museum.