Vatican Appoints First Female Museum Director

A glass ceiling was broken in one of the most unlikely places. Last month, Pope Francis appointed art historian Barbara Jatta as the Vatican Museums’ first female director. Jatta started her job Jan. 1, in a male-dominated arena. Men currently run the top five most-visited art galleries of the world (the Vatican Museums rank sixth). (https://news.artnet.com/art-world/pope-francis-appoints-female-director-vatican-museums-792116)

Pope Julius II founded the museums in the early 16^th century, housing one of the world’s greatest art collections, including classic statuary, rooms frescoed by Raphael and Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel.

Its current director was born in Rome and worked for Italy’s National Institute for Graphics in the 1980s and 90s, before moving to the Vatican Library as Head of the Cabinet of Prints in 1996.

One of her many tasks as director will be to handle overcrowding. Each day, thousands of tourists pack into spaces poorly equipped to handle such crowds, threatening the priceless works with dirt and humidity.