Carrara Academy. Bergamo.
Let's go further. Bergamo. The perfect place. I start with the best galleries and pinakotheks on my list. I don’t even understand what and how to write about not so excellent places. I don’t want to say bad things, but good things may not have an effect. Silence is also not an option. Okay, let's go ahead and figure it out.
Bergamo itself is a very unusual city with a rich history. The Academy of Carrara is somehow unrealistically exemplary. By the way, the Italians have not heard of any Truffaldino and do not understand what it is about. There is an Arlecchino from Bergamo. Well, it is, by the way.
Here is how I would describe the Carrara Academy:
Let's imagine for a moment a certain audience of not the most advanced museum workers who agreed to listen to at least someone who understands a little about the world, for example. Suddenly, including me. I imagined such a dialogue many times. And I came to the conclusion that those who want and are ready to change something in the stalled museums, but do not understand how and where to start, should simply first of all be transported to 3-4 exemplary places. And I would start with the Carrara Academy. I would take some comrades by the hand and lead them through all the halls, lead them to the toilet, lead them up the stairs, the courtyard, the lobby ... How they meet, how they see them off, how employees communicate with visitors. Light, wall color, hanging. And how much smart effort and sincere respect for the artists, their works, how much respect for us, visitors, is in all this. What is the cleanliness...
Been there seven times over the course of four years, probably. Everything is always stable, without misfires. During covid restrictions, when museums were open, but a lot of things were still closed and very restless - I was offered to put a bracelet on my hand. At first I did not understand what it was. And it turned out to be a device, which, when approaching another device (visitor) closer than 1.5 m, slightly trembles on the hand. It's funny that there were very few people in the museum and it seemed to me that the measure was excessive. Christmas trees, I thought, only about 20 people hang out, well, we’re not all that morons, somehow we’ll keep our distance and probably without bracelets. Turned out they were morons. And everything. And me too. At least 10 times, the bracelet informed me that the distance was violated.
It is important to add here that not all museums in Italy work at this level. And the Italians themselves from some places should look to their colleagues and think about this and that.
Oh, by the way, I almost forgot - a stunning selection of paintings. And the ideal size - about 400 works in the exhibition. Not a lot and not a little. Enough to saturate, but not winding down to zero. Bergamo, both lower and upper, is exceptionally good for a walk. Even for Italy, where there are a million beautiful small towns, the city of Bergamo is something special.
Photo Dan Daniel