Accademia Carrara: a model of museum between past and future
With a rich collection that covers a time span from the 14th to the 19th century, thanks to masterpieces by artists such as Pisanello, Mantegna, Bellini, Botticelli, Raffaello, Lotto, Moroni, Titian, Hayez and Pellizza da Volpedo , as well as a collection of drawings, prints and figurative arts, the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo , founded on a private bequest, is the museum of Italian collecting, thanks to important donations from over 260 donors, who continue to expand its heritage. The latest, the Bonifichi donation, has enriched the institute's journey through the 18th century painting panorama, making the presence of Bergamo artists even more complete.
Until August 31, the museum spaces will host, on the 500th anniversary of Lorenzo Lotto's departure from Bergamo, the exhibition «Dentro Lorenzo Lotto» , a protection and enhancement project dedicated to the «Pala di San Bernardino», following the prolonged closure of the church for consolidation work, enriched by the photographs of Axel Hütte, a photographer belonging to the famous Dusseldorf School who in recent years has dedicated himself to photographing the interiors of churches.
The historical and artistic heritage of the Accademia Carrara is managed by the Accademia Carrara Foundation which, since its inception, has chosen a management model inspired by the private world, even if it is a public heritage as the collection
It is part of the Municipality of Bergamo.
Gianpietro Bonaldi, general manager, and Maria Luisa Pacelli, director of Accademia Carrara
The idea is simple but sometimes uncomfortable and there are few realities in the Italian panorama that have undertaken it. The theme is to manage a museum by focusing on conservation, enhancement and innovation with a dual or collaborative leadership model also based on the principle that, in a future full of uncertainties, it is increasingly difficult for a single individual to possess all the skills and abilities necessary to lead a complex organization. As various international experts underline, co-leadership allows you to think big and achieve results that exceed the capabilities of the individual. In the case of the Accademia Carrara in Bergamo, the dual model has seen Maria Luisa Pacelli, an art historian, at the direction of the museum, since last December and for the next four years, while the operational management is entrusted to Gianpietro Bonaldi, general manager of the museum.
“Since 2015 - explains Gianpietro Bonaldi - the year the museum reopened after eight years of closure for work on the building, the governance of the Accademia Carrara has been entrusted mostly to private law entities, which support the Municipality, owner of the assets and which expresses the president of the private Foundation that manages the museum. A rather rare configuration in the panorama of the management of public assets in Italy; the private members are companies that join the Foundation through membership fees of variable amounts, with a three-year commitment”.
“This duration - continues the general manager - allows us to guarantee a cultural and operational program that is coherent and sustainable in the medium term; in addition to the contribution of the Municipality, which provides an economic endowment equal to approximately 30% of the overall annual requirement, without further intervention, the remaining requirement is covered through various sources: ticketing, fees paid by partners, fundraising activities, sponsorships, contributions and donations”. “I would also like to underline - continues Bonaldi - that the private nature of the management allows for greater dynamism and a higher capacity to respond to the logic of the sector, allowing the signing of agreements quickly and with more efficient methods than traditional public management; in this way guaranteeing and making solid the 'core' activities of the museum, conservation and enhancement”.
For her part, the new director brings with her many years of experience in museum management, gained in contexts with different management models. “Since 1999, in Ferrara - explains Maria Luisa Pacelli - I have worked in a dual system between public administration and a public company, which has proven effective in enhancing heritage and cultural production; even in more rigid state contexts, I have been able to see the limits and advantages of different approaches and I believe that the success of a model does not depend on the structure, but on those who interpret it with responsibility and cultural vision”. "To achieve sustainable results - continues Pacelli - it is essential to plan over a long time horizon, a two-year program allows not only to raise funds, but also to build loyalty in the territory and partners, showing a clear and coherent direction. In Bergamo, a city attentive to culture, it is crucial to demonstrate with transparency the objectives pursued, through concrete services, especially educational ones, which must also include research activities; great attention must be given to young people, a difficult audience to involve, to make the museum an attractive place also for the new generations".
Lorenzo Lotto, «Portrait of Lucina Brembati», circa 1521-1523, Accademia Carrara, Bergamo
During 2024, investments were completed to improve the visitor experience through the completion of the restoration work on the gardens, a green space of approximately 3,000 square meters, and the construction of the bistro (Bù Bistrot), inaugurated last September. The investment by the Foundation amounted to approximately 547 thousand euros, net of the technical sponsorship received from Edison Next for 145 thousand euros, and concerned the garden systems, the purchase of furniture, furnishings and equipment relating to the bistro. The arrangement of the large green area, now Giardini PwC, was also achieved thanks to the contribution of PwC (250 thousand euros for the naming and another 250 thousand euros for the three-year structural partnership 2022-2024).
On the economic front, the 2024 financial year ended with an operating deficit of 262,670 euros (a slightly lower deficit in 2023, of 246,009 euros) due for approximately 160 thousand euros to charges that will not be repeated and relating in particular to the cancellation of the exhibition "Authentic and Copy" following the changes in the management of the museum and the definition of an employment relationship. The income statement, as in 2023, is also affected by the charges (300 thousand euros) relating to the depreciation for the reorganization of the museum, for systems, furniture and equipment relating to the recovery of the gardens and the creation of the bistro, and for the passive interests (approximately 51 thousand euros) relating to the loan contracted for the aforementioned investments. Total revenues stood at 3.4 million euros (4.6 million euros in 2023), of which 1.04 million came from public resources, in particular from the Municipality of Bergamo for 0.9 million, contributions from private individuals for 925,117 euros and 495,586 euros from sponsorships. Income from the management of the museum amounted to 600,628 euros of which 501,170 euros from the ticket office, in addition to 136,373 euros for space rental, rental of travelling exhibitions, rights to use images and summer camps.
On the equity front, the museum has a net worth of 1.67 million euros, down compared to 2023 (1.9 million euros) due to the deficit that was in line with forecast expectations. As regards the financial aspects, the 'Foundation - we read in the report - has regularly reimbursed the mortgage installments and has managed to meet the investments made in 2024 with its own resources, demonstrating how the institution is robust and well-capitalized'
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