Maxxi special administrator: museum now 'back to normal'

Normal activities can resume at Rome's National Museum of 21st Century Arts (MAXXI) now that its financial house had been put in order, special administrator Antonia Pasqua Recchia said on Tuesday. The secretary-general of the Italian culture ministry was brought in by Culture Minister Lorenzo Ornaghi five months ago to tackle an alleged 11 million euros deficit in the 2012-2014 budget plan at the futuristic museum designed by Anglo-Iraqi architect Zaha Hadid and commissioned by the culture ministry in 1999 after it was put under special administration in April. She is due to present the approved budget plan for 2012 and final report by the end of next week, but a new president and board of directors still have to be appointed. MAXXI opened its doors in 2010 and clocked up 450,000 visits in 2011. However self-funding from ticket sales, international prestige and private sponsorship deals failed to prevent the budget shortfall, which was allegedly exacerbated by cuts in cultural heritage spending. Meanwhile Recchia said that October 18 will see the opening of an exhibition on the work of French rationalist architect Le Corbusier (until February 17) while in December there will be a display of giant sculptures by Jeff Koons. The cultural programme for 2013 includes an exhibition of photographs by Luigi Ghirri, a homage to the late artist Alighiero Boetti, famous for his wall hangings, and a solo show by Brescian artist Francesco Vezzoli.