On February 4, 2026, Italy’s vibrant art and cultural scholarship scene was on full display, with three significant events highlighting the deep ties between art, language, and historical preservation. From Rome’s Galleria Nazionale d’Arte Moderna e Contemporanea (GNAMC) to Bitonto’s Eustachio Rogadeo Library, and through the pages of newly published volumes, scholars, artists, and the public found fresh ways to engage with the country’s rich artistic and documentary heritage.
At the heart of the capital, the GNAMC hosted a much-anticipated presentation for a new, three-volume set dedicated to the American artist Cy Twombly. Published by Electa, this bilingual Italian-English box set delves into Twombly’s profound and enduring relationship with Rome—the city that shaped much of his creative vision. According to Inside Art, the project “explores the deep and lasting connection between the American artist Cy Twombly and the city of Rome,” offering readers and researchers critical essays, iconographic material, and textual contributions. Each volume traces different phases of Twombly’s creative journey, always in dialogue with the historical, cultural, and intellectual context in which he lived and worked.
The third volume, in particular, stands out for its focus on Twombly’s Italian years. It brings together four essays by Renata Cristina Mazzantini, Nicola Del Roscio, Mariastella Margozzi, and Stefano Marson. These contributions examine Twombly’s relationship with Italy, the presence of his works in the GNAMC’s permanent collection, and the recent, generous donations from the Cy Twombly Foundation. These gifts include twelve new works added to the gallery’s collection, funding for the restoration laboratory’s modernization, and the launch of an international postgraduate course dedicated to preserving works on paper. As noted by Inside Art, this initiative “strengthens the role of the GNAMC as a center of research and training.”
The event, moderated by journalist Stefano Salis, drew an impressive roster of participants: the gallery’s director, Carlo Nicolais (VP External Relations and Sustainability at MAIRE), Eleonora Di Erasmo (Managing Director of the Cy Twombly Foundation), Rosanna Cappelli (CEO of Electa), and Cav. Fabrizio Di Amato (President and Founder of MAIRE) all weighed in on the significance of both the publication and the Foundation’s support. Among the donated works are pieces created in Rome between 1957 and 1963—years that proved pivotal for Twombly’s artistic development, as he forged a visual language deeply influenced by Italy’s classical history, literature, and culture. This nucleus of works, now part of the GNAMC’s permanent collection, further solidifies the gallery’s standing as a leading center for the study and appreciation of Twombly’s oeuvre, not just in Italy but internationally.
“With this editorial and institutional initiative, which weaves together scientific research, collecting, education, and critical-historical narrative, the figure of Cy Twombly is further reinterpreted and enhanced,” Inside Art reported, underlining the project’s aim to provide new interpretive tools for both the public and scholars interested in the enduring impact of Italian culture on one of the twentieth century’s most important contemporary artists.
Elsewhere in Italy, the relationship between art and language took center stage with the release of L’italiano dell’arte, a new book by Andrea Felici and Veronica Ricotta, published by Carocci. As detailed by Musicletter.it, the volume “focuses on the linguistic study of art history texts, providing an updated profile of research, analyzing textual typologies and technical lexicon, and including an anthology section.” This book represents a major step forward in the systematic study of the Italian language as it relates to art history—an area that, until recently, had received only sporadic attention from linguists.
Felici and Ricotta’s work analyzes the evolution of art literature over the centuries, considering how textual forms, discourse strategies, and specialized vocabulary have developed in tandem with the visual sciences. The authors pay special attention to influential figures such as Michelangelo and Leonardo, using their writings as case studies to illustrate broader linguistic shifts. Designed as both a scholarly reference and a didactic tool, L’italiano dell’arte concludes with a rich anthology of artistic texts, providing concrete examples for linguistic analysis and deeper exploration of the book’s themes.
Andrea Felici, associate professor of Italian linguistics at the University of Urbino, has previously explored the language of art in relation to Renaissance masters, while co-author Veronica Ricotta, associate professor at the University for Foreigners of Siena, has made the language of art a central focus of her research. Together, their book “offers a clear synthesis of existing research and proposes new analyses,” Musicletter.it notes, “confirming itself as a reference for those working in linguistics, art literature, and visual sciences.” The volume is poised to become a key resource for university students and specialists alike, reflecting the growing importance of interdisciplinary approaches in the humanities.
Meanwhile, in the southern city of Bitonto, efforts to bring the public closer to historical sources and archival research took a tangible form. On February 4, 2026, the Biblioteca comunale ‘Eustachio Rogadeo’ and the Centro Ricerche di Storia e Arte – Bitonto continued their work to promote the region’s ancient documentary heritage. As reported by PugliaLive.net, “some historic parchments from the library’s archive are on display in the conference room of the building.” These documents, which date from 1204 to 1420, were meticulously studied and transcribed in the latest volume of the “Il Grifo” series, Le pergamene della Biblioteca comunale Eustachio Rogadeo di Bitonto. Regesti (1204-1420), published by Edipuglia and curated by Stefano Milillo, Cecilia Minenna, and Michele Devanna.
The volume was presented to the public on January 30, and in the days following, the library has made the original parchments available for viewing during regular opening hours—Monday to Friday from 9:00 to 13:30, and on Thursdays from 15:30 to 18:30. The initiative, as PugliaLive.net explains, “aims to promote local archival and library heritage and to engage the public with historical sources and preservation research.” By opening up these centuries-old documents to scholars, enthusiasts, and everyday citizens, the project seeks to foster a deeper appreciation for the painstaking work of preservation and the value of historical inquiry.
Across these three diverse but interconnected events, a common thread emerges: the ongoing effort to bridge past and present, art and language, scholarship and public engagement. Whether through the reinterpretation of a modern master’s work, the analysis of art’s linguistic fabric, or the preservation of medieval documents, Italy’s institutions and scholars continue to nurture a living dialogue with history—one that invites new generations to look, read, and discover for themselves.