Rome's MAXXI looks forward to a successful future.

MAXXI, Italy's national museum of 21st century art, marked its 10th birthday by looking back over the last decade and announcing its future projects, during a packed press conference on 6 February.

"The national museum of arts, architecture, photography does not want to celebrate itself" - said MAXXI president Giovanna Melandri - "but expand, strengthen and develop the guidelines of an ambitious expositive, cultural and social project."

Melandri launched the 2020 programme of events - including 18 new exhibitions - alongside Italy's culture minister Dario Franceschni who praised the "extraordinary work" undertaken at MAXXI, designed by Zaha Hadid, since its inauguration on 30 May 2010.

Franceschini has increased state funding for MAXXI, underlining the importance of "investing in creativity", and announcing plans to acquire works for the collection by artists including Accardi, Cattelan, Fabro, Ghirri and Kounellis.

L'Aquila
Central to 2020 will be the opening of a MAXXI modern art museum in L’Aquila, the earthquake-hit capital of the Abruzzo region. The museum, located in the historic centre, will be inaugurated by Franceschini on 21 June.

10 years in numbers
Over the last decade MAXXI welcomed 3,328,000 visitors, with the annual number of visitors in 2019 more than double the amount in 2010. Tickets generated €12.7 million, with ticket revenue increasing steadily over the last five years.

MAXXI has presented 106 exhibitions, over 2,000 cultural events, and more than 5,000 educational and training activities, while its art collection now boasts more than 530 works, after starting with 235 pieces.

2020 programme
Some of the highlights announced for 2020 include an exhibition titled Landscapes in Italian art at the turn of the millennium (opening on 9 April); an exhibition dedicated to architect Aldo Rossi (from 9 April); a tribute to scholar and gallery owner Claudia Gian Ferrari (opening 9 April); and a show devoted to Sicilian architect Maria Giuseppina Grasso Cannizzo (opening on 4 December).

For details of 2020 programme see MAXXI website.

Cover photo MAXXI Museo nazionale del XXI secolo. Musacchio Ianniello.