Italian Council is the international call, promoted annually since 2012, in support of Italian contemporary creativity and its promotion abroad and dedicated to artists, curators, critics, provided they are supported by cultural institutions (museums, public and private non-profit bodies universities; foundations; formally constituted committees and non-profit cultural associations). Each project must necessarily include collaboration with international realities and / or a promotion phase abroad.
The Italian Council project has allowed in recent editions :the increasing in the collections of Italian public museums through the acquisition or production of works by Italian artists, also on the occasion of residences and exhibitions; the incentive to the development of talents and the international promotion of Italian artists, curators and critics through the financing of projects concerning the participation of artists in international events. Moreover, the projects involving residences abroad for artists, curators and critics aimed at creating monographic exhibitions at foreign cultural institutions; editorial projects dedicated to Italian contemporary art.
The Italian Council is a project born in 2017 with the specific task of promoting the production, knowledge and dissemination of contemporary Italian creation in the field of visual arts. For the first five editions, the Italian Council financed 40 projects proposed by museums, public and private non-profit bodies, universities, foundations and committees and non-profit cultural associations which involved the production of one or more new works of art by an Italian artist, with the ultimate aim of increasing the public collections, after a period of promotion abroad. Since April 2019, the Italian Council has renewed itself by encouraging the development of talents and the international promotion of Italian artists, curators and critics, by financing projects that involve the participation of artists in international events or that provide residencies abroad for artists, curators and critics or aimed at the realization of monographic exhibitions at foreign cultural institutions or editorial projects dedicated to contemporary Italian art. The Italian Council is more inclusive, as it opens to the participation of artists, curators, critics, as long as they are supported by cultural institutions, and aims more strongly at the promotion of Italian art in the world. For this reason, each project must necessarily include collaboration with international cultural realities and / or a promotion phase abroad. The requested funding cannot exceed 80% of the total amount, with a maximum ceiling that varies according to the type of project presented. The projects admitted for funding are selected by a Commission composed of members of high scientific profile and by national and international experts from the world of contemporary art.