Pope Leo XIV appointed Cristiana Perrella as the first woman to lead the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon in September 2025, breaking a barrier at the institution founded in 1542. The Roman curator, born in 1965, has publicly advocated for the Church to embrace contemporary art languages that speak directly to today’s cultural landscape. Her appointment drew both praise for expanding female representation and criticism from those who questioned her unconventional curatorial history, signaling a potential institutional shift toward modern artistic dialogue.
In a historic move for the Vatican, Pope Leo XIV appointed Cristiana Perrella as president of the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon on September 6, 2025, making her the first woman to lead the institution since its founding in 1542. The appointment continues a trend of increasing female representation in Vatican-linked positions, following Pope Francis’s earlier decisions to place women in prominent cultural roles. This appointment also reflects ongoing debates about women in leadership within Church-associated institutions.
Born in Rome in 1965, Perrella brings three decades of experience as an independent curator, museum director, and art critic to the position. She currently serves as artistic director of MACRO, Rome’s Museum of Contemporary Art, a role she assumed in March 2025. Her previous work includes directing the Pecci Contemporary Art Center in Prato and collaborating with the Prada Foundation.
The academy, overseen by the Dicastery for Culture and Education, comprises approximately 50 academicians, including architects, painters, filmmakers, sculptors, musicians, and poets. Members have organized art exhibits at the entrance of the Pantheon, a former pagan temple converted to a church in the seventh century, since the seventeenth century. The academy’s mission is to foster the study and practice of the arts and letters while promoting the spiritual elevation of artists. Perrella was inducted into the academy in 2022 in a Baroque chapel under the Pantheon attic.
Perrella has publicly urged the Church to embrace contemporary art languages, arguing that modern works speak directly to today’s cultural landscape. She curated “Conciliazione 5” for the 2025 Jubilee, showcasing contemporary pieces including paintings by Vivien Suter and sculpture by Adrian Paci. Cardinal José Tolentino de Mendonça entrusted her with Vatican projects despite her limited prior experience with Church institutions and her status as a non-practicing Catholic.
Her appointment has drawn criticism from some quarters, with detractors pointing to her past curations, including “Night Fever: Designing Club Culture 1960–Today” in 2019, which highlighted identity affirmation in queer communities. Critics have questioned whether less controversial candidates were available, calling the choice ambiguous.
Nevertheless, the appointment signals Pope Leo XIV’s continued engagement with secular culture and suggests the academy may shift from its traditional Renaissance focus toward contemporary dialogue, reflecting a broader push for intersection between faith and modern imagination.
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