[Images: Ara Pacis Museum, Rome, jsamoral via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]

Not everyone was crazy about Richard Meier's enclosure of the Ara Pacis in Rome when it
was completed in 2006. The New York Times architecture critic, Nicolai Ouroussoff, slammed the museum edifice saying, "That the building is a flop and is therefore a major disappointment." It replaced another structure that was designed and built under the auspices of the Fascist government of Benito Mussolini. The Ara Pacis, or Altar of Peace, was erected during the reign of the emperor Augustus in 9 BC. Mussolini had the altar dismantled and moved to this location from its original site and created a plaza and building to house the temple. As Ouroussoff continues,

                                      "The building is bound to give ammunition to architectural
                                        conservatives who clamor that there is no room for bold
                                        new architecture in the eternal city."

If only he knew how true that statement would become. The recently elected mayor of Rome,
Gianni Alemanno, has led a campaign against the Meier building, and has been joined by the Italian culture undersecretary Francesco Maria Giro, in saying the building would be torn down if the government could afford it.

Things have gotten even more vitriolic in the past couple of days. Italy's culture minister, Sandro
Bondi attacked modern art and architecture and admitted that he is completely mystified by contemporary art. As reported August 13th, he told Grazia magazine that,

                                        "I struggle to find evidence of beauty in contemporary art.
                                          If I go to an exhibition I pretend to understand, like many
                                          others. But, honestly I don't understand."

Well, at least he is being honest. Yet, how does someone with this kind of viewpoint become the
culture minister of the country? He joined Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi when the TV mogul entered politics in 1994, and eventually became the spokesman for their party, Forza Italy, so why not take a job in the next round of a Berlusconi era, as a cultural minister.

[Image: Fiera Milano Tower, danielliebskind /Artwork: designslinger]

Berlusconi, has been on his own anti-modern campaign since becoming prime minister again.
The lead architect of the World Trade Center, Daniel Libeskind, has contributed a design for an art museum and office tower as part of the Fiera Milano site in the heart of that city, which will include buildings by innovative modern architects Zaha Hadid and Arata Isozaki. In July, the lose-lipped prime minister told Corriere della Sera, that Libeskind's bending structure emanated a "sense of impotence" because it is not manly enough. Mr. Berlusconi was not alone in his criticism, but Mr. Liebeskind struck back by comparing Berlusconi's aversion with Fascist ideology.

                                      "In Fascist Italy, everything that was not 'straight' was considered
                                       'perverse art.' My tower is inspired by the work of Leonardo ha Vinci,
                                        and great Italian culture. He (Berlusconi) does not have the time or
                                        intellect to study these."

[Images: Uffizi Courtyard, e-urope; Uffizi Portico model, isozaki /Artwork: designslinger]

And, as if that weren't bad enough, the above mentioned architect, Arata Isozaki, has had his
troubles with cultural tastes in Italy. In August 2007, Britain's, The Independent carried an article about Isozaki's new modernist portico for Florence's Uffizi Gallery, finally being given the go ahead. It took nine years of bitter fighting and outrage by many Florentines, before the city's superintendent of architectonic goods, Paola Grifoni, approved the proposal. Vittorio Sgarbi, the under secretary in the Ministry of Culture, during the previous Berlusconi term in the prime minister's seat, launched a campaign in 2001, to get "this horror" scrapped.

[Images: Palazzo della Civilta Italiana, gengish via flickr /Artwork: designslinger]

We have to remember that Silvio Berlusconi has been in and out of the office of Italy's prime
minister so there have been political appointment changes in the culture ministry over the past few years. Also, with all the references to Mussolini and fascism, I'm reminded of one of the more modern buildings in Rome that was constructed by Il Duce in the late 1930's, the Palazzo della Civilta Italiana. The building is one of the most recognized fascist architectural landmarks. Granted, architect Pier Luigi Nervi and his team paid homage to classical antecedents in the explosion of arches, but you cannot deny that the approach is very modern - today as well as in the 1930s.

So, while Ouroussoff, foretold controversy, and the original siting of the Altar of Peace was done
as a Fascist propaganda statement, and Prime Minister Berlosconi has been equated with Fascist thinking, I believe that in Rome, and Italy, there is plenty of room for classical and modern architecture to survive side by side. Modernism inherently pushes boundaries, and although it may not be everyones cup of tea, knee jerk reactions to change are not in the best interest of anyone, or any culture. New can be scary, we're not used to it, but look at the Palazzo, it pushed certain boundaries and critical buttons, but for good, or bad, it's grown on us. I have to disagree with the esteemed critic from the New York Times, I think Mr. Meier has created a well designed building for its site and purpose. If some politician doesn't tear it down, I believe that in 50 years people will pass by the museum without a thought, because is not the hideous monstrosity the Mayor would have us believe, and it will become as much a part of the architectural fabric of Rome as the Palazzo is today.