Archiving Late Modernism: The Museo di Sant’Agostino in Genoa

This paper presents the initial results of an ongoing Ph.D. research project at the University of Genoa, supported by Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan and developed in collaboration with the Municipality of Genoa and Docomomo International. The research aims to promote knowledge and valorization of contemporary architectural heritage by creating a digital archive dedicated to the city’s post–1945 public works, using the Museo di Sant’Agostino as a pilot case. Designed by Franco Albini and Franca Helg, the museum is a significant yet understudied example of late-twentieth-century Italian modernism, now approaching an imminent renovation. Conceived in 1962 and completed in 1985, the work involved the restoration and reconstruction of a centuries-old convent ensemble severely damaged during World War II. As part of a broader municipal plan for the regeneration of the historic center, it reflects the ambitions of Italy’s postwar museographic season, in which modern architectural language and technical experimentation became instruments of material and cultural reconstruction. Drawing on extensive archival research, the study retraces the museum’s long and articulated design and construction history, clarifying the sequence of decisions, revisions, and constraints that shaped its built form, as well as the subsequent alterations and maintenance issues, which provide essential insights into the vulnerabilities of late-modern architectural heritage and the complexities of its conservation. The fragmentation of documentary sources—largely paper-based and dispersed across public and private archives—emerges as a general and key challenge. This research responds through a systematic survey, critical selection, and digitization of materials, aimed at reconstructing the museum’s full life cycle while making it accessible to scholars, professionals, and the wider public. To this end, the development of an interoperable digital platform is intended to support research, guide informed and coherent interventions, and offer a replicable model for documenting and communicating late-modern architectural heritage.