Cristiano Leone is a cultural manager, artistic director, and researcher. With a background in Romance Philology, History of Art, and Cultural Management, he has developed a critical and rigorous methodology that informs both his academic research and his curatorial practice.

Leone’s work consistently seeks to build bridges between contemporary artistic creation and historical heritage. His theoretical reflection culminates in The Atlas of Performing Culture (Rizzoli International, 2023), a book that redefines the role of performance in the construction of cultural memory. His research has also distinguished itself in the philological field, with the annotated edition and first Italian translation of Pietro Alfonsi’s Disciplina Clericalis (Salerno Editrice, 2009) as well as the monograph Alphunsus De Arabicis Eventibus (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei, 2011). In addition, he has coordinated and edited numerous catalogues of contemporary art for Electa Mondadori, and authored several articles spanning philology and art history.

Academic and teaching activity

He has taught at some of Europe’s most prestigious universities, including the Université de Namur, LUISS Guido Carli in Rome, and Bocconi University in Milan. He also contributed to Sorbonne Université as a project manager. Fluent in Italian, French, English, and Spanish, Leone is a polyglot whose studies span both ancient and contemporary languages, enhancing his ability to foster international collaborations and to interpret artistic phenomena across diverse traditions.

Artistic direction and curatorial projects

As an artistic director, he has collaborated with leading public and private institutions, curating projects that combine performance, visual arts, music, fashion, design, and literature.

•At the French Academy in Rome – Villa Medici, he directed for three years Villa Aperta, a multidisciplinary music festival that brought together artists from diverse horizons, such as Nobel Prize laureate Gao Xingjian and musician Fred Frith, while also coordinating the Academy’s exhibitions and cultural activities.

•In collaboration with Electa, he created and directed the Festival Ō at the National Roman Museum (two editions), which united music, theatre, dance, fashion, design, and visual arts, offering a renewed cultural identity to Rome’s ancient monuments.

•He wrote the dramaturgy for Euripides’ Trojan Women at the Greek Theatre of Syracuse, directed the play Trial of Marie Antoinette at Palazzo Altemps (National Roman Museum), and staged his own dramaturgy Sonno Giapponese in the summer programme of the Rome Opera House at the Baths of Caracalla.

•For Italian television, he authored a special programme marking the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, broadcast on Rai Tre.

•He also contributed to the prefiguration of the Cité internationale de la langue française for the Centre des Monuments Nationaux, a landmark project initiated by the President of the French Republic.

Exhibitions and installations

Leone has created and curated numerous exhibitions. Particularly significant is his long-standing collaboration with multimedia artist Yuval Avital, which developed into the project Lessico Animale. It began with the exhibition Lessico Animale. Prologo in Parma, within the Reggio Parma Festival, and culminated in the large-scale installation and performance Lessico Animale. Mysterion in the Mithraeum of the Baths of Caracalla.

Collaborations with Hermès

He has worked with Hermès International, curating an exhibition at the Musée Émile Hermès that offered a new perspective on the French Maison’s historical heritage. This collaboration later extended to Hermès Italia, where he directed the artistic programming of the flagship store in Via Monte Napoleone in Milan, under the title L’Ora Arancio.

Santa Maria della Scala, Siena

Since 2023, Leone has served as President of the Board of Directors of the Fondazione Antico Ospedale Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, one of Europe’s most important museum complexes. He has launched a comprehensive relaunch strategy centred on a new architectural masterplan involving three internationally renowned architects for the reconversion of both restored and unused spaces. Under his leadership, the Santa Maria has become a platform where heritage and contemporary art coexist. Highlights include the monumental installation Path to the Sky by Jacob Hashimoto, exhibitions of historical and patrimonial significance, collaborations with international institutions, and XENOS, a festival that merges the performing arts and performance art into a shared perspective.

Memberships and institutional roles

Alongside his curatorial and managerial responsibilities, Leone is a member of several foundations and institutions. He serves as an expert for the performing arts at the Fondation Nuovi Mecenati of the French Embassy in Italy, and sits on the board of the Francis Kurkdjian Endowment Fund.