The birth of the Contemporary Art Collection in the Vatican Museums
The author is the director of the Contemporary Art Collection in theVatican museums and recalls here the political and religious objectives andthe cultural choices at the basis of the creation of this Collection and itsopening to the public in the second half of the Twentieth century. Fromthe speech of Pope Paul VI Montini, who in 1964 invited the art worldto reopen its dialogue with the Catholic church, to the task of those in theVatican in charge of contacts with artists and acquisitions: the protagonistsand the significant stages of this veritable cultural project are recorded herewith much information concerning works acquired or received in donation.This new commitment of the Church sparked off the generosity ofinstitutions, businesses and families in increasing the collection, right upto contributing to the mounting of the space in the Vatican Museumsdestined to contemporary art.