Vittorio Sgarbi
Member of the Chamber of Deputies
In office
23 March 2018 – 13 October 2022
ConstituencyEmilia-Romagna 2
In office
23 April 1992 – 27 April 2006
ConstituencyCagliari (1992–1994)
Calabria (1994–2001)
Veneto 1 (2001–2006)
Member of the European Parliament
In office
20 July 1999 – 11 June 2001
ConstituencyNorth-East Italy
Mayor of Arpino
Assumed office
15 May 2023
Preceded byRenato Rea
Mayor of Sutri
In office
11 June 2018 – 15 May 2023
Preceded byGuido Cianti
Succeeded byMatteo Amori
Mayor of Salemi
In office
30 June 2008 – 15 February 2012
Preceded byBiagio Mastrantoni
Succeeded byDomenico Venuti
Mayor of San Severino Marche
In office
9 December 1992 – 24 December 1993
Preceded byAlduino Pelagalli
Succeeded byManlio Rossi
Personal details
Born
Vittorio Umberto Antonio Maria Sgarbi

(1952-05-08) 8 May 1952 (age 71)
Ferrara, Italy
Political partyPSI (1990–1992)
PLI (1992–1994)
FI (1994–1999)
Liberal Sgarbi (1999–2006)
Consumers' List (2006)
UdC (2008)
Revolution Party (2012)
IP (2013)
Independent (2013–2017)
Renaissance (2017–present)
FI (2018)[1][2]
Height1.78 m (5 ft 10 in)
Profession
WebsiteOfficial website

Vittorio Umberto Antonio Maria Sgarbi (born 8 May 1952 in Ferrara) is an Italian art critic, art historian, writer, politician, cultural commentator and television personality. He is President of the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art of Trento and Rovereto. He was appointed curator of the Italian Pavilion at the 2011 Venice Biennale.[3] Several times a member of the Italian Parliament, in 2008 he served as Cabinet Member for Culture, Arts and Sports in Milan's municipal government for six months when Mayor Letizia Moratti terminated his mandate as she saw him 'unfit for the job'.[4] In 2012, he was removed as Mayor of Salemi by the Ministry of Interior after he failed to acknowledge Mafia interferences in his cabinet.[5]

Biography

Vittorio Sgarbi attended the Classical Lyceum "Ludovico Ariosto" in Ferrara and then graduated in Philosophy "cum laude" at the University of Bologna, where he also specialized in History of Art. He has a younger sister, Elisabetta Sgarbi, an Italian film producer and writer.

Sgarbi made his debut on National TV as an art expert on the Maurizio Costanzo Show on Canale 5. In the 1990s he had his own show, Sgarbi Quotidiani. (a pun on his name that can be read as "Daily Sgarbi" or "Daily Offences"). The show was a 15-minute recapitulation of current events. On a few episodes, Sgarbi furiously attacked the Italian judges working on the Tangentopoli corruption scandal. Sgarbi also criticized the use of preventive detention in prison.

Although Sgarbi has strongly defended the role of Catholicism as a foundational element of Italian culture, he defines himself as an atheist. On ethical issues — for example, that of euthanasia or in the case of Eluana Englaro, whose life was artificially prolonged by 17 years in a vegetative coma, he sided with the Catholic Church. He has also declared his opposition to gay marriage and to marriage in general.

While he was mayor of the Sicilian city of Salemi, he was removed from his role and the administration of the city was commissioned. According to the Minister of Interior Anna Maria Cancellieri, Sgarbi had responsibilities for the infiltration of Mafia in the management of the city, for example through the creation of fake protocols and making the administrative process slower.[6]

In November 2017, Sgarbi was chosen by President-elect of Sicily Nello Musumeci as new Regional Assessor of Cultural Heritage.[7][8]

He was re-elected as MP for Forza Italia for the 2018 general election, and was successively elected as Mayor of Sutri later in June of the same year.

Candidate to the Senate in the 2022 Italian general election, he was not elected. Despite that, he has been nominated Undersecretary for Culture in the Meloni Cabinet.

Sgarbi is also a columnist for il Giornale and works as an art critic for Panorama newsmagazine.

Electoral history

Election House Constituency Party Votes Result
1992 Chamber of Deputies Cagliari PLI 11,438 checkY Elected
1994 Chamber of Deputies Osimo FI 21,112 ☒N Not elected
Calabria –[a] checkY Elected
1996 Chamber of Deputies Sacile FI 28,665 ☒N Not elected
Calabria –[a] checkY Elected
1999 European Parliament North-East Italy FI 85,070 checkY Elected
2001 Chamber of Deputies Trieste – Muggia FI 36,710 ☒N Not elected
Veneto 1 –[a] checkY Elected
2004 European Parliament Southern Italy Lib 9,300 ☒N Not elected
2006 Chamber of Deputies Calabria LC –[b] ☒N Not elected
2009 European Parliament Italian Islands LD 22,334 ☒N Not elected
2018 Chamber of Deputies Acerra RI 30,596 ☒N Not elected
Emilia-Romagna 2 –[a] checkY Elected
2022 Senate of the Republic Emilia-Romagna – Bologna RI 187,206 ☒N Not elected
  1. ^ a b c d Elected in a closed list proportional representation system.
  2. ^ Candidate in a closed list proportional representation system.

First-past-the-post elections

1994 Italian general election (C): Osimo
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Luigi Giacco Progressives PDS 28,427 34.42
Vittorio Sgarbi – FI 21,112 25.56
Emanuela Branchesi Pact for Italy PS 29,860 24.05
Leonardo Fabrizi – AN 13,189 15.97
Total 82,588 100.0
Turnout 90,187 86.73
1996 Italian general election (C): Sacile
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Edouard Ballaman – LN 35,028 42.52
Vittorio Sgarbi – FI 28,655 34.79
Pio De Angelis Progressives PRC 18,690 22.69
Total 82,373 100.0
Turnout 88,486 80.93
2001 Italian general election (C): Trieste – Muggia
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Riccardo Illy The Olive Tree Ind 44,495 50.79
Vittorio Sgarbi House of Freedoms FI 36,710 41.90
Franco Francescato – IdV 2,307 2.63
Marco Gentili – LB 2,153 2.46
Others 1,944 2.22
Total 87,609 100.0
Turnout 91,279 80.61
2018 Italian general election (C): Acerra
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Luigi Di Maio – M5S 95,219 63.19
Vittorio Sgarbi Centre-right RI 30,596 20.38
Antonio Falcone Centre-left PD 18,018 12.00
Others 6,315 4.20
Total 150,148 100.0
Turnout 153,528 69.89
2022 Italian general election (S): Bologna
Candidate Coalition Party Votes %
Pier Ferdinando Casini Centre-left CpE 232,069 40.06
Vittorio Sgarbi Centre-right RI 187,217 32.32
Fabio Selleri – M5S 62,908 10.86
Others 97,868 16.80
Total 579,252 100.0
Turnout 601,061 73.91

Publications

TV shows

Notes

  1. ^ "Silvio Berlusconi, Vittorio Sgarbi: "Mi candido con Forza Italia, ho un seggio sicuro al Senato"". Libero. 19 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Sgarbi: "Modena una città di primati, io farò ministro Beni Culturali"". il Resto del Carlino. 8 February 2018.
  3. ^ Meet Vittorio Sgarbi, the Contemporary-Art-Hating Firebrand Behind Italy's Venice Biennale Pavilion, artinfo.com
  4. ^ "La Moratti ritira le deleghe a Sgarbi Lui: "Ha tradito un accordo politico"". 8 May 2008.
  5. ^ "Il ministero dell'Interno: "Responsabilità di Sgarbi nell'infiltrazione mafiosa a Salemi"". Il Fatto Quotidiano. April 22, 2012.
  6. ^ Giacalone, di Rino (22 April 2012). "Il ministero dell'Interno: "Responsabilità di Sgarbi nell'infiltrazione mafiosa a Salemi" - Il Fatto Quotidiano".
  7. ^ Emanuele Lauria (14 November 2017). "Sgarbi verso i Beni culturali: "Musei aperti fino a notte. Vorrei Crocetta testimonial"". la Repubblica.
  8. ^ "Sgarbi nuovo assessore alla Cultura: "Rischierò la vita, attaccherò la mafia tutti i giorni" "Sgarbi assessore alla Cultura: "Rischierò la vita, attaccherò la mafia tutti i giorni"". Today. 15 November 2017.

References

External links

Recipients of the Bancarella Prize
Authority control databases
Categories