Inside a temporary art exhibition: registrars and external personnel in the Italian museum system

Abstract

The main aim of this thesis is to present the current situation of the Italian human resources system within art institutions and highlight their professional performances through the museum’s central role of the registrar. Contrarily to what happens in international museums, Italian art museums rely on a tight staff structure. This implies that many positions that could be included within the inhouse personnel keep being outsourced. This tendency gives rise to a widespread professional and stimulating network which is, in the case of temporary exhibitions and collection events, managed by the pivotal function of the registrar. Thanks to my internship at Mart Museum and the acquaintance of the registrar Clarenza Catullo, a series of interviews is here presented. Different freelance professionals contribute to demonstrate the importance and need to bring together external expertise for the organisation of an art display inside a museum.