In the fall of 2015, twenty Italian national museums changed their directors through a competition, which let many high profile international art leaders, for the first, time some of them not Italians, reach the top positions of these institutions and what unpublished. More than a year after that, many of these museums have significantly changed, expanding their routes, increasing the number of pieces on display, reopening closed wings for years and generally making a series of innovative measures that are giving back life blood and new ideas of curiosity.

One of the most interesting cases is that of GNAM, the Gallery of Modern and Contemporary Art of Rome, directed by Cristiana Collu. Just from one of her ideas, in the recent months there has been an exhibition that is more than an exhibition, almost a style referendum: an attempt to offer something different, awaiting the public response to this new stimulus.

We are talking about "Time is out of joint", a brand new production that remixes the institutional content of the museum in an entirely revisited version, on a basis of suggestions, subjects and meta subjects.

Thus the visitor does not find the traditional route of the museum showing the exhibition retracing the Italian artistic evolution according to the historiographical and diachronic criteria, with works divided by styles and currents following their series in history.

Now everything is merged and mixed. Canova's neoclassicism overlooks a sea of pop by Pino Pascali; the elongated figures of Giacometti are next to abstract works; and a thousand other suggestions show two or more works of art are juxtaposed to generate an unusual and ephemeral new creation in reborn rooms even from the white light that bounces from high walls.

Also, new pieces from the deposits and never showed before are now exposed. Another very interesting news is that there are now a few rooms with a very well characterized topic, where some very contemporary loans from private galleries are part of the project.

The reorganization also involved the added services space, with the movement of the Ticket boot, the creation of a bar at the center of the atrium where you can enjoy the statues in the interior gardens previously not visible, and a brand new bookshop full of art publications.

The renewal caused many criticisms, because the loss of an educational role disappointed those who used the museum as a tool for classes of pupils and adults interested in art. But in reality, while losing the textbook character of the museum, the renewal gains a very contemporary way of conceiving nowadays art, where paradoxically those who are not very familiar with contemporary art, can live personal suggestions that help better understanding  an issue or a link between seemingly unconnected works, favoring empathy and personal sensitivity.

It is a temporary exhibition with the ambition of becoming permanent, and that will probably become such if the taste of the public will reward it with a big turnout. It also is a brave attempt that nevertheless should be rewarded for the alternative way that gives us to look at art.