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Eugenio Viola returns to Naples as the new director of the Madre Museum
The Italian commissioner returns to the Neapolitan institution after his time at the helm of the MAMBO in Bogotá.
Eugenio Viola has been appointed the new director of the Madre Museum in Naples, a particularly significant return for the Italian curator, who is already linked to the institution, where he served as general curator between 2009 and 2016.
Viola returns to the Neapolitan museum after seven years at the helm of the Museum of Modern Art of Bogotá (MAMBO), where he held the positions of artistic director and chief curator. In February 2026, he left this role after denouncing a progressive “deterioration of working conditions,” a situation that, he explained, was also shared by several members of the team.
The curator stated that, instead of opening an internal review process, the museum's management decided to terminate his contract. "I leave with my integrity intact, having acted in good faith, supported my team, and always maintained ethical standards," Viola said after his departure.
During his tenure in Bogotá, MAMBO strengthened its position within the Latin American art scene thanks to a program that combined the rediscovery of essential figures from the Colombian art world with the incorporation of new international perspectives. Under his direction, the museum presented exhibitions such as the first major retrospective in three decades dedicated to the Colombian artist Óscar Muñoz, as well as projects by international artists such as the Brazilian artist UÝRA and the Taiwanese artist Su Hui-Yu.
Viola's vision of the role of museums has been a central focus of his career, arguing that cultural institutions must protect threatened histories, give visibility to excluded narratives, and foster spaces for critical thinking. For the curator, contemporary museums must move away from singular narratives and become places for listening, representation, and dialogue between diverse perspectives, even when these may be uncomfortable or contradictory.
Viola's new role at the Madre Museum comes after a consolidated international career. In 2025 he was curator of the Paiz Art Biennial and previously headed the Italian Pavilion at the 2022 Venice Biennale.
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