A course designed to give an overview of the artistic developments in Rome during the past 25 years and to offer insight into the diverse trends of contemporary art in the city. Visits are made to galleries, specific exhibitions, and artists' studios. This course is taught in Rome only.

At Temple Rome, the course focuses on Rome as the catalyst for a study of the contemporary art system in the 21st century. Commonly known as the Eternal City because of the continuity of a long and rich classical history, Rome is becoming an ever more international and multi-cultural contemporary capital. The course follows this development through visits to museums of contemporary art – MACRO Museum of Contemporary Art of the City of Rome, MAXXI – Museum of Art and Architecture of the Twenty-First Century, and the most recent MAAM – Museum of Other and Elsewhere. We explore art in the city center, in galleries and private art foundations, and art outside the city center, in artist studios and alternative spaces, and in the urban space. We explore the outskirts of Rome where artists are taking studio space and creating site-specific projects. Topics of conversation include the mission of the contemporary art museum, the role of the commercial art gallery, the studio art practice, graffiti and street art, art and new technologies, the art market. Site visits are enriched by encounters with artists, gallery directors, and other art professionals. In-class lectures and discussions offer the background to Italian contemporary art and to the art system in general.