Le ambiguità del Moderno. Riflessioni sul restauro e la patrimonializzazione del patrimonio del Novecento /

Abstract

The heritage of twentieth-century architecture has long struggled to define its boundaries and its terminology. The coexistence of expressions such as “Restoration of the Modern,” “of the Contemporary,” or “of the Twentieth Century” reveals a profound uncertainty that extends from language to disciplinary practice. Words, far from being neutral, become instruments of legitimization and shape the values attributed to architectural heritage. In the case of modern and contemporary architecture, the overlapping of categories such as modernity, memory, and identity has generated conceptual and methodological ambiguities, particularly when the recent past enters the domain of preservation. The progressive transformation of modern works from testimonies of an era into monuments of collective culture exposes tensions between historical interpretation and aesthetic reconstruction. This essay examines how linguistic shifts, theoretical debates, and heritage policies have contributed to redefining the status of twentieth-century architecture, questioning the criteria of its recognition, the role of authorship, and the meaning of restoration itself. Ultimately, the restoration of the twentieth century emerges as a field suspended between critical interpretation and the construction of new narratives of legitimacy.

Salvato in:
Dettagli Bibliografici
Autori: Susanna Caccia Gherardini iD ORCID 0000-0001-6758-7836 (University of Florence)
Pubblicato in: Restauro Archeologico, vol. 33, n. 1 Special Issue, vol. I, pp. 10-15
Data di pubblicazione:12/12/2025
Editore:Firenze University Press
Tipo di documento:Articolo
Lingua:italiano
DOI: 10.36253/rar-19129
ISSN:1724-9686, 2465-2377
Accesso aperto: Accesso aperto Diamond: rivista aperta senza costi per autori e lettori – Restauro Archeologico (licenza: CC-BY, versione editoriale)
Soggetti:
Cultural Heritage Management and Preservation (Social Sciences > Arts and Humanities > Archeology)
Architecture, Modernity, and Design (Physical Sciences > Engineering > Architecture)
Urban Development and Cultural Heritage (Social Sciences > Social Sciences > Urban Studies)
Identificativi: OpenAlex W4417531458

Dati dell'indice centrale: OpenAlex (licenza CC0).

Descrizione
Riassunto:The heritage of twentieth-century architecture has long struggled to define its boundaries and its terminology. The coexistence of expressions such as “Restoration of the Modern,” “of the Contemporary,” or “of the Twentieth Century” reveals a profound uncertainty that extends from language to disciplinary practice. Words, far from being neutral, become instruments of legitimization and shape the values attributed to architectural heritage. In the case of modern and contemporary architecture, the overlapping of categories such as modernity, memory, and identity has generated conceptual and methodological ambiguities, particularly when the recent past enters the domain of preservation. The progressive transformation of modern works from testimonies of an era into monuments of collective culture exposes tensions between historical interpretation and aesthetic reconstruction. This essay examines how linguistic shifts, theoretical debates, and heritage policies have contributed to redefining the status of twentieth-century architecture, questioning the criteria of its recognition, the role of authorship, and the meaning of restoration itself. Ultimately, the restoration of the twentieth century emerges as a field suspended between critical interpretation and the construction of new narratives of legitimacy.
ISSN:1724-9686
2465-2377
DOI:10.36253/rar-19129