Application deadline: March 30, 2026, 12pm
The Fondazione Torino Musei has opened the selection process for the directorships of the MAO Museo d’Arte Orientale and Palazzo Madama—Museo Civico d’Arte Antica. Full information here. Applications open until March 30, 2026.
The selection procedures for the directorships of the MAO Museo d’Arte Orientale and Palazzo Madama–Museo Civico d’Arte Antica are now open under the auspices of Fondazione Torino Musei, in view of the imminent expiry of the current appointments, scheduled for early 2027.
Conducted through a public call, the selection process is intended to identify high-profile candidates with proven academic, administrative and managerial expertise, capable of operating within complex and structured cultural institutions engaged in the management of public cultural heritage and the use of public resources.
The new directorships will have a four-year term, commencing in 2027, as specified in the respective notices. Applications will be assessed by a specially appointed Evaluation Committee. The results of the selection procedures will be published through the Foundation’s official institutional channels.
Applications, complete with all documentation required by the Notices, must be submitted no later than 12pm (Italian time) on March 30, 2026.
Those appointed to lead the MAO and Palazzo Madama will be required to implement the directives of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Torino Musei, operating within the framework of an innovative and dynamic Strategic programme and contributing to its material implementation through the definition and execution of the museums’ cultural, scientific and managerial programmes.
The positions require a combination of strong academic and curatorial expertise, robust managerial capabilities and the ability to operate within complex organizations. The selected individuals will be responsible for the overall management of the resources assigned to them and for their promotion in accordance with principles of efficiency, effectiveness and sustainability. They will also oversee cultural planning, programming and control, as well as the monitoring of results, in line with the principles of sound performance and transparency in administrative action.
The museum management teams will operate within the Foundation’s matrix organisational structure, structured around five cultural lines and six supporting functional areas.
This organisational model requires the ability to coordinate, integrate and govern processes, as well as constant cross-sector collaboration, contributing to the development of a unified and coherent strategy for the entire civic museum system.
A further key element of the positions is the ability to ensure the implementation of the vertical strategic plan of each museum, while contributing to its integration within the Foundation’s overall planning framework. This instrument defines the cultural, academic, managerial and organisational development of the two museums, in line with their identities, the characteristics of their collections and the role of the MAO and Palazzo Madama within the civic, national and international museum system, strengthening their positioning and their capacity to operate within a network.
The Vertical Strategic Plan constitutes the reference framework for the annual and multi-year planning of museum activities and for the evaluation of results.
The MAO Museo d’Arte Orientale is one of the most important museums in Italy and among the largest in Europe dedicated to the knowledge, study and promotion of Oriental art and civilisations.
Opened in 2008 and housed in Palazzo Mazzonis, with a collection of over 2,200 works dating from the fourth millennium BCE to the 20th century, the Museum represents a major reference point for research, conservation and dissemination of Asian artistic cultures, playing a central role in the dialogue between different cultural traditions and in fostering intercultural exchange. The permanent exhibition provides a broad overview of the arts of ancient Asian cultures and is displayed in five galleries presenting works from South and Southeast Asia, the most important collection of Chinese funerary art in Italy, examples of Japanese religious and secular art, artefacts from the Himalayan region and a significant collection of Islamic art. This articulation allows for a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of the principal cultural areas of Asia, highlighting their historical, religious and formal complexity. On the ground floor, alongside the evocative Japanese gardens, the MAO includes a space dedicated to temporary exhibitions, conceived as a site for cultural experimentation and thematic exploration, in constant dialogue with the permanent collections and the Museum’s research and scholarly activities. The new directorship will be required to promote the further enhancement of the MAO through academic and exhibition programming capable of strengthening its positioning and its dialogue with local, national and international contexts.
Palazzo Madama—Museo Civico d’Arte Antica, located in Piazza Castello in the heart of Turin and recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is unique in Italy and Europe. It encapsulates over 2000 years of historical and architectural stratification that remains fully integrated and functional. From the Roman-era Porta Decumana to the medieval castle of the Acaia family, from the Juvarra staircase—a masterpiece of European Baroque—to the Sala del Senato del Regno (Senate Hall of the Kingdom), which hosted the inaugural session of the Subalpine Parliament in 1848, the Palace stands as a symbol of the historical and civic identity of Turin and Italy. Since 1934, the Palace has housed the civic collections of ancient and decorative arts of the City of Turin, comprising a heritage of over 80,000 works dating from the Roman period to the 19th century. These include masterpieces such as the Portrait of a Man by Antonello da Messina and the Turin–Milan Hours, the only illuminated manuscript attributed to Jan van Eyck. The museum display unfolds across four floors, following a chronological itinerary spanning the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and the Baroque period, culminating in one of the most important collections of decorative arts in Europe. It is complemented by spaces dedicated to temporary exhibitions in the Sala del Senato del Regno and in the Corte Medievale (Medieval Courtyard).
Within the framework of the Fondazione Torino Musei’s Strategic Plan, a comprehensive redevelopment project for the Museum is currently under way. This initiative aims to ensure full usability for one of the symbolic landmarks of Turin, Italy and Europe, reconciling the need for “content”—the civic museum—with that of a unique architectural “container”. The project seeks to offer a renewed visitor experience capable of generating emotion and forging a meaningful connection between identity and history, while orienting the institution towards a future-focused vision for the city. The redevelopment entails a complex redefinition of both exterior and interior public spaces: from the restoration of the façades to the reopening of the large panoramic terrace of over 500 square metres, which has remained inaccessible to the public for four centuries; from the enhancement of the Roman Porta Decumana to the Medieval Courtyard, where traces of the Roman era and the fortified residential structure integrated into the museum itinerary will be made accessible. The Galleria di Carlo Emanuele will also be opened to the public for the first time, hosting the four monumental 18th-century statues representing the virtues of Savoy governance, accompanied by a scenic and multimedia installation designed to highlight the city’s founding artefacts and Turin’s role within the European context. The new management will be required to take full account of the building’s unique characteristics and of all forthcoming phases of the Museum’s redevelopment.
