FLORENCE, ITALY – Lazio regional administrative court (TAR) has struck down five of the 20 appointments for top Italian museums that were recently put out to international selection to attract the best possible candidates.
The appointments has been rejected on the grounds that the court did not consider there to be the necessary conditions to open the selection to international candidates.
The five museums are Palazzo Ducale and Galleria Estense (Modena), Paestum and the archeological museums of Taranto, Naples e Reggio Calabria. The Florentine directors Eike Schmidt (Uffizi) and Cecile Holberg (Galleria dell’Accademia) are not involved in the sentence.
«The world has seen Italian museums change in two years and now the Lazio TAR cancels the appointment of 5 directors,» Franceschini said via Twitter.
«I’m speechless and that’s for the best».
Later on Thursday Franceschini said that the government will appeal. «We’ll immediately appeal to (top administrative court) the Council of State,» he said. «I’m worried about how Italy looks to the rest of the world and about the practical consequences, because as of today some museums don’t have a director.»