ART, WHATEVER IT TAKES

Since the early pandemic in 2020, Rome Art Program has conducted a series of interviews, “Art, Whatever It Takes.”
Artists, Art Critics, and Art Historians living in Italy, the U.S., and U.K., share their insights during these powerful times.

Interview with Alberto Dambruoso

Alberto Dambruoso is an Art historian, professor of History of Art at the Academy of Fine Arts, Naples, an independent critic and curator of contemporary Art, based in Rome for more than twenty years.  He graduated in 2000 in History of Contemporary Art at the Faculty of Conservation of Cultural Heritage of Tuscia, Viterbo, and received his degree in teaching “History of Art” at Ca’ Foscari University, Venice, in 2007.

Specialized in Italian art of the 60ies, in the Roman Group “Scuola di Piazza del Popolo” particularly, Dambruoso has curated several exhibitions of the Group, and has published the new General Catalogue of Umberto Boccioni’s work, with Maurizio Calvesi, in 2016.

At the beginning of 2010, Dambruoso designed “I Martedì Critici”, a series of weekly debates with the major artists, gallery owners and critics of international level, involved in Italian institutional venues.

In July 2015, Dambruoso was commissioned by the Municipality of Cosenza to curate “Bocs art”, the largest artistic residence project in Europe.  Dambruoso writes on Arte In magazine where he has a journalist column called “Fatti critici”.

RAP: What is your definition of “art” today?

Alberto Dambruoso: The way I see it, art is a category that goes beyond any concrete definition and therefore attempt-ing to express exactly what it is could fit all definitions and none at the same time. I can only say that for me art is a profession of faith, vocation, and spiritual activity. I could probably better define what is not art rather than what it is.

RAP: Art is dynamic and regenerates itself… how does it change, and how did it change us?

Alberto: Art has always been in constant change because it is man-made, and mankind is primarily subject to change. Art changes and evolves because in fact the human perspective and vision of the world changes. In order for art itself to create a change in mankind, it would need to have a widespread and deep root in society.

RAP: When (and how) did you understand that art was becoming very important in your life?

Alberto: I understood this when I was very young, intrigued by the works I saw on the walls of my house. My father was a collector and I have had the opportunity to appreciate art since childhood.

RAP: What role does art play today? What are the “great figures” who have recently changed it? Do you feel close to any of these figures?

Alberto: I believe that art currently plays a marginal role, at least from a didactic point of view. Today, few are interested in educating the masses, trying to improve society through art education. It seems to me that what matters most now is art as a commodity. Creations such as those of the banana, Cat-telan's toilet or the 10,000 works recently put up for sale by Hirst through the NFT system clearly demonstrate how finance governs art, provided that these operations can be defined as artistic.

RAP: Are there still traditional figures such as collectors, muses, mecenate and patrons, in today’s art and society interaction model?

Alberto: No, it does not appear to me that these types of figures still exist, who were once fundamental not only for the success of an artist but also served to affirm a specific artistic current. I take for exam-ple the collector Panza di Biumo, who had created three different collections. Figures like him no longer exist.

RAP: How have the new technologies and media culture changed art today, improving or worsening it…? What do you feel are your biggest challenges?

Alberto: There are artists who use technology to create very interesting works that make us reflect on certain aspects of the world. I am in favor of art that uses technology and science. However, I am not in favor of creations such as crypto art that would claim that art only became immaterial. In my opinion this would be the death of art.

RAP: Art as a mirror of man, in this moment of emergency seems to be shattered …what do these fragments reflect now?… Shadow or light of the moment?

Alberto: As long as mankind lives, art will also live. Again, as art is the mirror of man and therefore of the world, in this difficult moment art is trying to find alternative channels and to reconsider itself. I am sure that as history has always taught, rebirths always follow dark moments and in a few years even art will find its new renaissance.

RAP: Understanding, interpreting, and then possibly judging the work of art; which is the right path when we are in front of a piece of art?

Alberto: As far as I am concerned, I always try to express an opinion solely on the work itself, and not on the artist who made the piece - which instead seems to me to be the most popular approach in the last twenty or thirty years. If an artist is famous but the latest works are subpar, I notice that most of the industry experts are ready to justify it by inventing the most incredible excuses. In my opin-ion, the work of art should be judged for what it is. The emotions that arise upon the first viewing are usually always the right ones. But oftentimes people are conditioned by the judgment of a critic, its caption, or simply by the fact that it is exhibited in a museum and consequently think that it is their problem because they do not like or understand it.

RAP: Which is the real role of Academies and Art schools today? What can artists learn from these institutions today?

Alberto: Over the past couple of years, the Academies of Fine Arts in Italy are recovering a credibility that was lost until ten years ago or so. Due to the economic crisis, many great artists have returned to teaching. This bodes well for the next generations of artists coming out of these academies.

RAP: Art too has undergone a complex process of globalization; can having an authentic and genuine style be an advantage or a drag for an artist?

Alberto: I don't think it is necessarily an advantage or a disadvantage to have an authentic style. Surely even today having a recognizable mark or signature makes a difference as the work in the era of globalization lives as if it were a brand. The more it circulates the more it is seen and the more people remember it.

RAP: How do Art Galleries and Museums position themselves today, and, in your opinion, how should they?

Alberto: Today, art galleries no longer perform the function of discovering and launching artists as they once did. Most galleries are only interested in participating in fairs, and consequently the activity of the gallery is reduced to the minimum requirement in order to be admitted to fairs (at least 3 exhibi-tions per year must be held). As for museums, however, I have noted for some time now that in-stead of representing the epitome of the artist's success, they often act as a springboard. I would like both galleries and museums to return to the best practices of the past.

RAP: “Figuration” vs “Abstraction”. Which of the two is better descriptive of the period we live in? Which one will have a better future?

Alberto: I think both. I never thought that one could prevail over the other.

RAP: Today we often speak of “emerging artists”; what advice based on your experience do you feel you can give to young artists?

Alberto: My advice is to study, study and study. From the history of ancient to contemporary art. Study the various artistic techniques. Read art magazines and consult artistic information sites daily and, no less important, surround yourself with seasoned artists with significant experiences behind them. Finally, identify reputable critics and gallery owners to show your work to.

RAP: Art as a lens for reading the present, can it modify the space and time we pass through? …will art save us?

Alberto: Art, as I previously mentioned, could change time and space only as long as most of the world's population would consider it as if it were a religion. Art would have to be a sort of secular daily prayer. Will art save us? Maybe, but in the meantime let's try first of all to save art ourselves.

I Martedì Critici

www.imartedicritici.com