Vittorio Umberto Antonio Maria Sgarbi is an Italian art critic, art historian, politician, cultural commentator and television personality. He is also curator of major international exhibitions, a prolific writer of best-selling books, host of successful programs that have remained in the history of television, politician, counter-current free thinker and tireless defender of art and culture.

Born in Ferrara on 8 May 1952, Vittorio Sgarbi graduated in Philosophy with a specialization in History of Art at the University of Bologna, and was an official assigned to the Superintendence of Artistic and Historical Heritage of Venice.

He was professor of History of Artistic Techniques at the University of Udine (1984-1988) and of History of Photography at the University of Bologna (1974-1978).

From 1992 to 1999 he conceived and conducted “Sgarbi Quotidiani”, a successful television column which in 2000 earned him the victory of the Flaiano International Award for Television.

He collaborates with Il Giornale, L’Espresso, Panorama, IO Donna of Il Corriere della Sera, and curates the columns “Sgarbi vs Capre” for the Quotidiano.net, and the Weekly Sgarbi for “Oggi”. He is an academic of the Georgian Academy of Treia and of the Rubiconia Academy of the Philopatrians.

He is Commander of the Order of San Maurizio and Lazzaro. He is President of the National Committee of Celebrations on Mattia Preti. He is President of the National Committee for the celebrations of the fifth centenary of the birth of Francesco Mazzola known as Parmigianino. He is President of the National Committee for the Celebrations of the V centenary of the death of Andrea Mantegna. He was Commissioner for the arts and architectural restoration of the city of Padua, of which he edited the catalogues on Giotto and Donatello’s exhibitions. He was the artistic director of the Asti Teatro Festival in 2000. He was President of the VII Commission for Culture, Science and Education of the Chamber from 1994 to 1996. He was elected member of the European Parliament in 1999. He was elected member of the Italian Parliament in 2001 and was Undersecretary for Cultural Heritage.

In 2003, he was appointed, by ministerial decree, President of the Academy of Fine Arts of Urbino.

Since 2005 he has been High Commissioner for the enhancement of the Villa Romana del Casale in Piazza Armerina (EN).

He is a member of the Prefect’s Advisory Commission for the Cathedral of Noto (SR). From May 2006 to May 2008 he held the position of Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Milan.

On 30 June 2008 he was elected Mayor of the municipality of Salemi (TP). In 2010, he was appointed Superintendent of the Venice Museum Complex. In 2011, he curated the Italian Pavilion of the 54th International Art Exhibition at the Venice Biennale, entitled “Art is not what our”, expanding the exhibition in 27 Italian capitals in honour of the 150th anniversary of the Unification of Italy. In 2017, he founded the Renaissance political movement with the aim of addressing the enhancement of Italy’s cultural and artistic heritage.