Through much of its history, Italy was Europe’s heart of the arts, an artistic playground for foreign élites and powers who bought, sold, and sometimes plundered millions of Italian artworks and antiquities. Today, Italy asserts control over its cultural heritage through an activist model and sophisticated art police unit, which dedicates itself to the eradication of tomb robbing. Italy has turned heritage into patrimony capital—a powerful and controversial convergence of art, money, and politics. Ruling Culture traces how Italy came to wield such extensive legal authority, global power, and c ... More

Through much of its history, Italy was Europe’s heart of the arts, an artistic playground for foreign élites and powers who bought, sold, and sometimes plundered millions of Italian artworks and antiquities. Today, Italy asserts control over its cultural heritage through an activist model and sophisticated art police unit, which dedicates itself to the eradication of tomb robbing. Italy has turned heritage into patrimony capital—a powerful and controversial convergence of art, money, and politics. Ruling Culture traces how Italy came to wield such extensive legal authority, global power, and cultural influence—from the nineteenth century unification of Italy and the passage of novel heritage laws, to current battles with the international art market. Drawing on years in Italy studying archival materials, and interviewing key figures, the book presents a multifaceted story of art crime, cultural diplomacy, and struggles over what it means to forge a national community.