First Woman to Lead the Vatican’s Arts Academy Wants the Church to Embrace Contemporary Art

January 17, 2026 by Kateri

Cristiana Perrella was appointed the first woman president in the Virtuosi al Pantheon’s history. Background: Yan Pei-Ming’s watercolor portraits of inmates, guards and staff at Rome’s Regina Coeli Prison (Beyond the Wall) were displayed in the Conciliazione 5 gallery from Feb. 15 to May 19.

Contemporary art is powerful vehicle for communicating values, challenging reality, and understanding the times we live in, says Cristiana Perrella.

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