«La necessità di restaurare l’uomo»: Brandi, Argan e l’ICR nelle lettere inedite dell’autunno 1943

The paper offers a useful background to the reconstruction of the complex intellectual genesis of the Teoria del restauro. Brandi's reflections on conservation practices originated from a dense exchange of ideas with Giulio Carlo Argan, a relationship that began in 1932 and intensified particularly during the foundation of the Istituto Centrale del Restauro. The discovery of some unpublished letters by Brandi in Argan's archive allows us to follow the intertwining of biographical events and the activities of the newly founded Institute during the Nazi occupation of Rome. The letters, written in the tragic months following 8 September 1943, shed light on little-known aspects relating to the management of the Institute and the conservation of the artworks during the forced closure; furthermore Brandi's wide-ranging considerations about the tension between intellectual freedom and the ethical duties of a public servant are deeply striking.