Tomaso Montanari (Florence, 1971), a graduate of the Scuola Normale Superiore, is Full Professor of Early Modern Art History at the University for Foreigners of Siena, of which he is currently Rector. His research focuses on 17th-century European art history, to which he has devoted over one hundred scholarly essays. His work seeks to address the questions posed by works of art through the full range of methodologies developed within the discipline, including attribution studies, archival research, textual source criticism, analysis of meaning, and socio-historical interpretation. He also studies the history of cultural heritage. He is Honorary President of the Istituto per gli Studi Filosofici in Naples, Corresponding Member of the Istituto Veneto di Scienze, Lettere e Arti, and a member of the Accademia di San Luca. He has received the Giorgio Bassani Award from Italia Nostra for journalism in defense of cultural heritage. He was also awarded the title of Commander of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic by the President of the Republic for his commitment to protecting Italy’s cultural heritage. He writes for Il Fatto Quotidiano, Il Venerdì (la Repubblica), Altreconomia, and Fuori Binario. His latest book is Libera università (Einaudi, 2025).