Corrado Ricci, pragmatico studioso: aspetti di critica d’arte nei testi del ‘decennio museografico’

This article aims to investigate the relationship between the museum-related publications of Corrado Ricci (1858-1934) – museum catalogues, monographs, articles and guidebooks – and his parallel work in the so-called ‘museographic decade’, i.e. the early stage of his career at the Regia Galleria of Parma, at Ravenna and at the Pinacoteca di Brera (1893-1908). The analysis of these writings with respect to their contexts enables their connections to art criticism, historical research and connoisseurship to be outlined. In addition, this analysis illustrates the museological criteria that were adopted and the functions of museum catalogues in a pivotal moment for museums in Italy, which were renovated at the turn of the century according to the teachings of Adolfo Venturi.