Italian art

Since ancient times, the Italian peninsula has been home to diverse civilizations: the Greeks in the south, the Etruscans in the centre, and the Celts in the north. The numerous Rock Drawings in Valcamonica date back as far as 8,000 BC. Rich artistic remains survive from the Etruscan civilization, including thousands of tombs, as well as from the Greek colonies at Paestum, Agrigento, and other sites. With the rise of Ancient Rome, Italy became the cultural and political centre of a vast empire. Roman ruins across the country are extraordinarily rich, from the grand imperial monuments of Rome to the remarkably preserved everyday architecture of Pompeii and neighbouring sites.

Following the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Italy remained an important artistic centre throughout the Middle Ages. The country saw significant contributions to Carolingian art, Ottonian art, and Norman art, as well as the flourishing of Byzantine art in cities such as Ravenna.

Italy was the main centre of artistic innovation during the Italian Renaissance (c. 1300–1600), beginning with the Proto-Renaissance of Giotto and culminating in the High Renaissance with artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Raphael, and Antonello da Messina. These artists influenced the development of Mannerism, the next phase of Renaissance art. Italy retained its artistic prominence into the 17th century during the Baroque period (c. 1600–1750) and into the 18th century with the emergence of Neoclassicism (c. 1750–1850). Both movements originated in Rome^[4][5] and spread throughout Western art.

From the mid-19th century onward, Italy maintained a presence in the international art scene through movements such as the Macchiaioli, Futurism, Metaphysical art, Novecento Italiano, Spatialism, Arte Povera, and Transavantgarde.

Italian art has profoundly influenced many major artistic movements across the centuries and has produced numerous renowned painters, sculptors, and architects. Today, Italy continues to play a vital role in the global art scene, with major galleries, museums, and exhibitions. Key artistic centres include Rome, Florence, Venice, Milan, Turin, Genoa, Naples, Palermo, Syracuse and other cities. Italy is home to 60 World Heritage Sites, the highest number of any country in the world.