In the early twentieth century, after remarkable success and growth in the numbers and size of their collections over the nineteenth century, municipal museums experienced a period of transition and redefinition oI their aspirations. In this context, this essay aims to examine various features of Barbantini’s work, focusing firstly on the newspaper articles he wrote regarding the run-down state of the museums and artistic heritage of his hometown, Ferrara. The essay then discusses the broader and more organic strategy that Barbantini, an extraordinary force for cultural improvement, implemented after his move to Venice where, in the nineteen-twenties, the museums and temporary exhibitions had increasingly become a vehicle for a cultural policy that was open to actions aimed at promoting the city’s image and tourism. At the time, Venice was considering its ambitions and its future prospects in a political clash between the partisans of splendid isolation and the new demands for modernisation.
