Giovanni Lista

Giovanni Lista (February 13, 1943, Castiglione del Lago, Italy) is an Italian art historian and art critic, resides in Paris. He is a specialist in the artistic cultural scene of the 1920s, particularly in Futurism. He studied at universities in both Italy and in France until he permanently settled in Paris in February 1970.

While teaching at the university, he became a researcher at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) in 1974. After being associated with the research laboratories directed by Denis Bablet and Louis Marin, he was appointed Director of Research in 1992.

He founded the review Ligeia, dossiers sur l'art (Ligeia, Art Dossiers) in 1988. Its name is taken from the myth of the Greek siren cited by Plato.

As a member of AICA (International Association of Art Critics) and SGDL (Society of Men of Letters of France), he was awarded the Georges Jamati Prize for the best essay on the theatre, arts and social science published in France in 1989; both the Filmcritica Prize for the best essay on cinema and photography published in Italy and the Giubbe Rosse Prize for the best literary biography essay published in Italy in 2002; and the Venetian Academy Silver Medal in 2010for the lectio magistralis (keynote speech) delivered at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Venice. In April 2011, the French Minister of Culture Frédéric Mitterrand awarded him the title of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters. In June 2011, Italian President Giorgio Napolitano awarded him the title of Chevalier of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic.