Italy’s Only Contemporary Photography Museum May Close

Funding to the institution has been slashed.

Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea Via: Vorrei

The province of Milan’s cultural authority has thus-far failed to grant €200,000 in funding to the Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea, according to La Corriere della Sera.

The move halves the total amount typically received by the institution on an annual basis. The museum, which is Italy’s only institution dedicated to contemporary photography and is located about a half-hour north of Milan’s city center, also receives €300,000 from the city of Cinisello, in which it is located, each year. That funding has been delivered.

Museum officials warn that should the Milan’s provincial government fail to come through with funding equal to that given in previous years, the institution may be forced to close.

“Given the situation, we aren’t even sure if we’ll still be here come October,” a spokesperson told the Art Newspaper.  The spokesperson explained that they have contacted the president of the province of Milan, Guido Podestà, but have thus far received no reply.

According the La Corriere della Sera, representatives for the museum’s 12 employees—some of whom are part-time—met with members of the Cinisello municipality’s administration on Friday.

However, they were unable to make any headway in attempts to save the institution as no representative from the province attended. Museum officials told the paper that without the delivery of funds, those workers will go unpaid. Another meeting is reportedly set for next Monday, September 29.

Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea Collection

The Museo di Fotografia Contemporanea holds over two million photographs and negatives in its collection, by artists such as Letizia Battaglia, Fischli & Weiss, Candida Höfer, Federico Patellani, and Thomas Struth. It celebrates the 10 year anniversary of its founding in 2014.

The institution also holds a collection of historical photographs by photo agency Grazia Neri, which documents the past 40 years of Italian history.

Milan will hold the 2015 Universal Exposition, EXPO Milano, opening in May of next year.


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