Alain Elkann Interviews

Alain Elkann

Alain Elkann Interviews podcasts are an unprecedented window into the minds of some of the most well-known and -respected figures of the last twenty-five years. Alain Elkann has mastered the art of the interview, approaching the task as somewhere between snapping a photograph and writing a short story. With a background in novels and journalism, and having published over twenty books translated across ten languages, Alain infuses his interviews with innovation, allowing them to flow freely and organically. A small selection, to which we will gradually add, are presented here as podcasts for the first time.

  1. The life and achievements of Jennifer Montagu, a leading British art historian known for her work on Italian Baroque sculpture - 277 - Alain Elkann Interviews

    26 MIN AGO

    The life and achievements of Jennifer Montagu, a leading British art historian known for her work on Italian Baroque sculpture - 277 - Alain Elkann Interviews

    PIONEER OF BAROQUE SCULPTURE. Jennifer Montagu LVO CBE is a highly regarded British art historian whose emphasis is in the study of Italian Baroque sculpture. A daughter of Ewen Montagu, a British lawyer, writer and Naval intelligence officer, and granddaughter of painter Solomon J. Solomon RA, she studied under Sir Ernst Gombrich at the Warburg Institute, London where she received her PhD degree. Montagu lectured in History of Art at Reading University 1958–64, then was assistant Curator 1964–71, and Curator 1971–91, of the Photographic Collection at the Warburg Institute.  She was Slade Professor of Fine Art and fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge 1980–81, Andrew W. Mellon Lecturer at the National Gallery of Art, Washington in 1991, and Invited Professor at the College de France, Paris in 1994. She was a trustee of the Wallace Collection 1989–2001 and of the British Museum 1994–2001. In 1990 Montagu delivered the annual A. W. Mellon Lectures in the Fine Arts at the National Gallery of Art. She is an honorary fellow of her alma mater, Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and of the Warburg Institute. She has been honoured in France as a Chevalier of the Légion d'Honneur and a Commander of the Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, and in Italy as an Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic. Her books are Bronzes 1963, Alessandro Algardi 1985, Roman Baroque Sculpture – The Industry of Art 1989, The Expression of the Passions 1994, and Gold, Silver and Bronze: Metal Sculpture of the Roman Baroque 1996. Her latest book, on the sculptor Giovanni Battista Maini, was published in 2025. "I was brought up being rather anti-Baroque; and then I got interested in Le Brun and the 17th century." "The basic problem, of course, is who painted it and why and when, but there are all sorts of other more interesting questions you can ask about it." "Sometimes there's a connection, something about the painting which grabs you. The hairs on the back of your neck rise up, as they say, and there isn't any particular explanation." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/jennifer-montagu

    56 min
  2. Antonio Citterio: Why Good Design Starts With the End of a Product's Life - Alain Elkann Interviews

    8 MAR

    Antonio Citterio: Why Good Design Starts With the End of a Product's Life - Alain Elkann Interviews

    DAY TO DAY BRILLIANCE. ANTONIO CITTERIO is an Italian architect, furniture and industrial designer. Today his cross-disciplinary practice for architecture and interior design is known as "ACPV ARCHITECTS Antonio Citterio Patricia Viel". The firm works internationally, developing projects on all scales in collaboration with a network of specialist consultants. In both 1987 and 1994, Antonio Citterio was awarded the Compasso d'Oro ("Golden Compass") prize, the world's oldest and most prestigious industrial design award. In 2008 the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures & Commerce of London awarded him the title of  "Honorary Royal Designer for Industry". "Headquarters is not a speculation building, it's also part of the image." "When you build something now, you really have to think about what will happen in the next 30 years." "Nowadays, the vision is for an office chair that is self-adaptive." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/antonio-citterio

    34 min
  3. Francesco Billari on Population Decline, AI & Identity - Alain Elkann Interviews

    1 MAR

    Francesco Billari on Population Decline, AI & Identity - Alain Elkann Interviews

    LEADING AN INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY. Francesco Billari is Professor of Demography at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy. He became Rector in November 2022 after having held the role of Dean of the Faculty. He has worked at the University of Oxford Department of Sociology, at Nuffield College, and at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research. His recent book Domani è Oggi offers a demographic lens to shed light on the potential futures shaped by today's choices. "The important thing is that all young people should think that going to university is a wise and desirable idea. "We want to change the world by research." "We still have to learn how to deal with this diversity that comes with demographic change. It is completely new for humanity." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/francesco-billari/

    44 min
  4. David Trickey on Childhood Trauma: Why the Same Event Affects Kids Differently - Alain Elkann Interviews

    22 FEB

    David Trickey on Childhood Trauma: Why the Same Event Affects Kids Differently - Alain Elkann Interviews

    CHANGING THE QUALITY OF TRAUMA IN CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. David Trickey is a Consultant Clinical Psychologist who has specialised in working with traumatised children, young people, and their families since 2000. He is Co-Director of the UK Trauma Council, chartered by the British Psychological Society and registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. Across all of his roles, he draws heavily on the published research literature, to which he has made his own contribution. "An important part of getting through traumatic events is being able to make sense of them, to think them through, and as social beings we will often do that with others." "It can be incredibly powerful for people to hear an apology even decades later." "As a therapist, my work is regaining enough trust for them to be able to share the details of what happened." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/david-trickey/

    48 min
  5. From War Zones to Cultural Diplomacy: Claudio Pagliara on Peace, Power, and a Changing World - Alain Elkann Interviews

    15 FEB

    From War Zones to Cultural Diplomacy: Claudio Pagliara on Peace, Power, and a Changing World - Alain Elkann Interviews

    PROMOTING ITALIAN CULTURE AND BRIDGING CULTURAL DIVIDES. Claudio Pagliara is a journalist who became the Director of the Italian Cultural Institute on Park Avenue in New York in September 2025, soon after he completed his term as head of the RAI Radiotelevisione italiana correspondence office in the United States. With enormous international experience that includes living in Jerusalem for almost 10 years, he was foreign desk chief at Tg2 — Italy's second state channel — for seven years. His recent book L'imperatore is a journey through America's transformation and the challenge it poses to the world. Pagliara holds a degree in linguistic philosophy from Rome's La Sapienza University. "My first mission is to enlarge the love for Italian culture among Americans." "We want to build a big family together with Italians and the American lovers of Italy." "Maybe not everybody knows that Italy is the most important contributor to peacekeepers around the world." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/claudio-pagliara

    43 min
  6. The Uffizi: Simone Verde on The Hidden Galleries, New Acquisitions, and the Future of Florence's #1 Institution - Alain Elkann Interviews

    8 FEB

    The Uffizi: Simone Verde on The Hidden Galleries, New Acquisitions, and the Future of Florence's #1 Institution - Alain Elkann Interviews

    ANTHROPOLOGY REGENERATES CULTURE. Simone Verde is a museologist and art historian who was appointed Director of the Uffizi Galleries in Florence, Italy, in December 2023, replacing Eike Schmidt who moved to Capodimonte. From 2014 to 2016 Simone Verde was head of scientific research at the Louvre in Abu Dhabi, and from 2016 to 2023 he directed the Complesso Monumentale della Pilotta in Parma, Italy, whose total restoration and refurbishment he completed. Verde studied Theoretical Philosophy in Rome and Paris, has a doctorate in Anthropology of Cultural Heritage, and a degree in Museology and Art History at the École du Louvre. "The strength of art, of heritage, is its capacity to regenerate itself through centuries and time and cultures." "The icons of the museum are promoted by social media, and this is both an opportunity and a problem." "We have to be a universal museum in terms of audiences. That makes the work we do much more complicated."

    41 min
  7. Inside New York's Most Beloved Museum: Axel Rüger on the New Era of The Frick - Alain Elkann Interviews

    1 FEB

    Inside New York's Most Beloved Museum: Axel Rüger on the New Era of The Frick - Alain Elkann Interviews

    THE REGENERATION OF THE FRICK. Axel Rüger is a German art historian, curator and museum director. Director of the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam from 2006 to 2019, he previously worked as a curator of Dutch art at the National Gallery in London. He led the Royal Academy of Arts in London from 2019 through 2024, and in March 2025 assumed the directorship of The Frick Collection in New York City. "You get a sense of how the Fricks lived at the time, even though we do not really talk much about their daily life." "For the first time, the Frick now also has a café and a dedicated space for education activities." "The library has always been a vital part of the museum." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/axel-ruger/

    39 min
  8. Colin Bailey: The Caravaggio Masterpiece New York Rarely Gets to See - Alain Elkann Interviews

    25 JAN

    Colin Bailey: The Caravaggio Masterpiece New York Rarely Gets to See - Alain Elkann Interviews

    REALISING WONDERFUL IDEAS. Colin Bailey is a British art historian and Director of the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City. He is a scholar of eighteenth and nineteenth century French art, with a specific interest in the artist Pierre-Auguste Renoir. For the first time ever in America, Caravaggio's Boy With A Basket Of Fruit is on show at The Morgan. "Renoir Drawings is a survey of Renoir working on paper, drawings, pastels; and then how some of those drawings relate to paintings and even sculpture. "We also are a teaching institution, so we want to put a light on Caravaggio in a slightly different way. "My first job is just keep telling everyone how interesting and lively and rewarding The Morgan is and making sure that it is." https://www.alainelkanninterviews.com/colin-bailey-2/

    33 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.8
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Alain Elkann Interviews podcasts are an unprecedented window into the minds of some of the most well-known and -respected figures of the last twenty-five years. Alain Elkann has mastered the art of the interview, approaching the task as somewhere between snapping a photograph and writing a short story. With a background in novels and journalism, and having published over twenty books translated across ten languages, Alain infuses his interviews with innovation, allowing them to flow freely and organically. A small selection, to which we will gradually add, are presented here as podcasts for the first time.

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