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Benvenuto! My name is Emma Powell and I am an upcoming 2024 graduate from Pratt Insitute with a Masters in Library and Information Science. In my final semester, I was so excited to take this opportunity to travel abroad to Italy over spring break. I had never been to Italy before so I added a few additional days prior to our time in Rome to also visit Florence and Venice. The whole trip blew me away, from the incredible archives we visited to the churches and museums to the fantastic foods. This trip really helped open me to an international perspective on archival practices, and introduced so much great art. Read more below on our time in Rome, or see my other pages for my individual adventures!
Archive Visits
Archive Visits
Throughout the class, we completed six archive tours. With one in New York and five in Rome, there was a lot of information and practices to compare. The collections were all related to modern and contemporary art, with many collections being unknown to me prior to this course. However, each of the visits captured a slightly different side to artists' archives and the ways they interact in larger institutions.
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Robert Rauschenberg Foundation
Wednesday, January 31
This was my second visit to the Rauschenberg Foundation to view the archives. Francine, the archivist, still made this visit unique and very focused on Rauschenberg's work in Italy. Up on exhibition were some of his Gluts, including the Neopolitan Gluts from Italy. Before getting created into the Gluts, those materials were first used in the set design of Trisha Brown's Lateral Pass so we were able to see the bit of documentation kept from that performance. The majority of the Italy-related items in the archive were from Rauschenberg's photography. Since much of his work in Italy was earlier in his career, the documentation was not quite as vast as his later life and works. But this was still a great tour to begin the course, due to the optimal organizational practices that still reflect the spirit of Rauschenberg.
Some of Rauschenberg's Gluts in the exhibit space.
Part of Rauschenberg's photos from Italy.
Inside of the Rauschenberg archive.
MAXXI
MAXXI
Monday, March 11
Our visit to the Museo Nazionale delle Arti del XXI Secolo (commonly referred to as MAXXI) was led by Giulia Pedace and Giulia Cappelletti of the MAXXI ART Archive Center. Visiting the museum while it was closed and undergoing exhibition installation, they were gracious enough to host us in the Carl Scarpa Hall. Giulia Pedace began the session by discussing the management of art archives in a contemporary art museum. She gave a full overview of how the archive works in the context of the museum, the process of acquiring a collection and making it accessible to reseachers, and the intricacies of developing an archives exhibition. One of the most fascinating points was how user-focused they made the arrangement and description process. So often in America, people are trying to rush to get collections out as fast as possible through practices like MPLP. However, Giulia and Giulia will intricately arrange every collection at the item level, allowing the process to take 3 years before access is available. In some ways, this might be more possible since MAXXI was only finished in 2010 so it does not have the extensive backlog of many institutions. However, it is refreshing to see an institution that can allow for a collection to be described and preserved so thoroughly.
Giulia Cappelletti next gave several case studies of collections within MAXXI's archives. She discussed the challenges with the archives of art critics Carla Lonzi and Alberto Boatto, as well as American art in Rome in the 1970s. The real highlight of her lecture was focused on the documentation of the exhibition Contemporanea, an exhibition in the car park of the Villa Borghese from 1973 to 1974. This monumental exhibition featured artists like Robert Rauschenberg, Simone Forti, Cy Twombly, and Mario Schifano. Their collection contains correspondence, photographs, video documentation, and so much more relating to the collection. Once Giulia finished her lecture, we were able to look more closely at some items from Contemporanea, as well as other important items from the time.
Map of Contemporanea in the parking lot of Villa Borghese.
Image from Contemporanea.
A Leo Castelli Gallery invitation for an Andy Warhol show.
GNAM
GNAM
Tuesday, March 12
The visit to the Galleria Comunale d'Arte Moderna (GNAM) consisted of looks at both the archives and the library's collections. As one of the largest archives on contemporary art in the country, we were able to see the wide range of their collection. Susanne, the archives director, and Tina, the archivist, showed everything from the photo from Ugo Ojetti, correspondence from Carla Lonzi, and their rare artist books. Additionally, they keep all records pertaining to the history of the museum. This is especially helpful for conservators viewing the original presentation of complex contemporary artworks. The archives of the GNAM were substantially larger than MAXXI, making their practices more similar in terms of adherence to original order and heavy digitization.
Inside the GNAM archival stacks.
Inside of Depero Futurista (aka The Bolt Book).
Photographic documentation of museum installations.
Inside of an artist book.
We were also shown some of the library's collections highlights by a librarian. The collection consists of monographs, exhibition catalogs, rare books, and more. Since the library was founded alongside the museum, we were able to get more insight into the history of the institution and the complications of creating such a specific library collection. The librarian showed us many artist books in their reading room area, including Andy Warhol's Index (book) and another copy of Depero Futurista.
The librarian shows a pop-up page from Andy Warhol's Index (book).
ICCD
ICCD
Wednesday, March 13
The Instituto Centrale Catalogo Documentazione (ICCD) is a government ministry in Italy aiming to preserve Italian cultural heritage. Our visit was focused on their contemporary photography collections, led by curator Francesca. She started with a history of the department, starting from just a photographic cabinet in 1895. Since then, it has grown to over 6 million items, with contemporary photography still being added to the collection. Francesca particularly focused on the residences with contemporary artists to create new artwork for the collection by interacting with the archives. She talked about each of the residencies, the different approaches to the collection, and the final exhibitions to come from the works. Some of the highlights were Mario Cresci playing with positive and negative images, Paolo Ventura creating fake photography of missing war documentation, and Joan Fontcuberta creating art from the photographs in the worst condition. It was fascinating to see the creative ways the artists used the collection as inspiration for their projects, and the unique application of an archive.
Paolo Ventura catalog (above) and a display of the photography collections (below).
Mario Cresci photograph made for the ICCD.
Some work from contemporary photographer residences (above) and Joan Fontcuberta catalog (below).
Archivio Franco Angeli
Archivio Franco Angeli
Thursday, March 14
The Franco Angeli Archive keeps the personal papers of the late artist while also providing authentication services for his works. The archive is run by his daughter Maria Angeli and archivist Sibella. Since the start of the archive in 2009, a large portion of their work has been clearing fakes from the market. Maria talked about the abundance of fakes created in the 80s and 90s, which people believed to be real due to certificates of authenticity and the seller having worked with Franco Angeli during his life. Maria showed us a whole catalogue raisonné created by those creating the fakes, showing both fake and real works. They still use this book as a reference point on the real vs. fake works of Franco Angeli when authenticating works now. This whole aspect of authentication is so different compared to the work of many archives in the United States, where the daily work is more focused on the life of the artist. However, providing a service like this is so important to keeping Franco Angeli's work accurate to his intent.
The archival collections are small, but Maria and Sibella seem to make excellent use of them. The small size of the collection partially speaks to the fact that Franco Angeli worked to live, often using his paintings to pay for necessities. While he did not have the luxury of wealth and space as other artists (like Robert Rauschenberg), the archive still reflects his practice as an artist and what was most important to him. Maria and Sibella work to keep his story alive, continuing to make the collection more accessible through digitization practices.
Inside of the Franco Angeli Archive.
Authentic book of Franco Angeli's work.
Fake catalogue raisonné with fake works of Franco Angeli.
Archivio Elisabetta Catalano
Archivio Elisabetta Catalano
Friday, March 15
Our final archive tour was at the archives of the late photographer Elisabetta Catalano. She started her photography on the set of Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 while an actress, but Fellini loved her photos so she continued set photography until moving more into fashion and performance photography. The archive mainly focuses on her photography, with still some props and other ephemera preserved. The archivists broadly organize the archive in FileMaker Pro by the name of the subject, with over 1,722 people represented. They also keep vintage prints, which are still in the process of getting digitized. For the archive having only been founded in 2015, an incredible amount of work has been done to organize and describe these photographs. Additionally, they have incorporated the collection into fascinating exhibitions, including one on Fellini and another at the MAXXI on performance art.
The team, including Catalano's widower, shows off light tables from an exhibit at the MAXXI.
An archivist shows some of Elisabetta Catalano's fashion photography.
Inside of the cold storage room where the film is kept.
Rome Extracurriculars
Rome Extracurriculars
Each day after our archive tours, we had a lot of free time to explore the city. On the art theme, I visited many beautiful museums and churches. And when in Rome, I had to also make sure to visit a few of the classic tourist sites and ancient ruins.
Monday, March 11
After a long visit to the MAXXI earlier in the day, I took the evening to simply explore Rome. I visited Campo de' Fiori, Piazza Navona, Chiesa di San Luigi dei Francesi, the Trevi Fountain, the Spanish Steps, and Castel Sant'Angelo. The evening was a bit dreary due to the rain, but it made for many quiet streets.
Tuesday, March 12
Once the GNAM tour was done, I headed across the Villa Borghese to grab lunch and eventually go back to the hotel. I stopped by the Piazza del Popolo and visited the Pantheon. Later that evening, a group of us went to St. Paul's Within the Walls to see the famous Italian opera La Traviata.
Piazza del Popolo
The oculus of the Pantheon
Wednesday, March 13
The visit to ICCD left us in the neighborhood of Trastevere so we had to explore some of the food options. After lunch and a sweet treat, Francesca, Stefany, and I went over to see the Mouth of Truth at the Santa Maria in Cosmedin church. Then I went on my own to see the iconic classical works at the Capitoline Hill Museum.
The Equestrian Statue of Marcus Aurelius on Capitoline Hill.
Fragments of the Colossus of Constantine in the museum courtyard.
The lower level of the museum, built on ancient ruins.
The Capitoline She-Wolf sculpture.
Thursday, March 14
After visiting the Franco Angeli Archive, my main focus of the day was Vatican City. Due to long lines at St. Peter's Basilica, the afternoon was primarily just the Vatican Museums and the Sistine Chapel. The collections were so much larger and more expansive than I had imagined. Obviously, Raphael's School of Athens and the Sistine Chapel were highlights of the visit, but the building alone was stunning!
Laocoön and His Sons
Raphael's School of Athens
Friday, March 15
On the final day, Francesca, Stefany, and I decided to wake up early to make sure we could visit St. Peter's Basilica. Leaving the hotel at 6:30 AM, we were able to make it to the basilica just as it was opening and enjoy it being nearly empty. Even with all of the incredible buildings and art seen throughout this trip, St. Peter's was outstanding for the grand scale alone.
After a nice breakfast and a visit to the Elisabetta Catalano Archive, it was time to recognize the Ides of March. This infamous day was when Caesar was assassinated by his senators. It is now recognized with a historical reenactment at Largo di Torre Argentina. The day also includes a processional and funeral for Caesar held in the Roman Forum. While I had hoped to see all of the day's events, I had to leave before the funeral started to get to my final classic Rome site.
Et tu, Brute?
First, I cut through the Roman Forum in hopes the funeral process might get there quickly, but it sadly did not. I wish I had had more time to thoroughly go through the whole forum and Palatine Hill, but that will just have to be saved for my next trip.
I ended my walk at the Colosseum. I had purchased the tickets to stand on the recreated floor of the arena, and the view was simply incredible. The historic building and use of the Colosseum are fascinating, but it is mostly just a wonder that the building still stands so strongly today.
Overall, I had the best time getting to visit each of the archives and explore so many sights in Rome! I gained so many insights into Italian archiving practices and am so glad Pratt was able to offer such a unique course.
If you're interested in reading more about my time in Italy, check out my other page on my travels to Florence and Venice, and my page all about the fantastic food. Arrivederci!
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