Presentation

UPF Center for Vattimo’s Philosophy and Archives

Gianni Vattimo’s archives were inaugurated on June 6, 2016, in the Auditorium of Pompeu Fabra University’s Ciutadella Campus. Donated by Professor Vattimo (University of Turin), the archives include his university courses, seminars, notes, correspondence, and unpublished materials. The archives are housed in the UPF General Library, located in the Dipòsit de les Aigües Building, which provides an ideal environment for research. In addition to classifying the archives together with the Library staff, the Center’s Team organizes international conferences, seminars, and workshops devoted to exploring Vattimo’s philosophy in relation to art, religion, politics, and science. In 2026, to commemorate the 10th anniversary of Vattimo’s generous donation, the Center launched Vattimo’s Digital Archive, a digital environment that enables users to map, connect, and explore the archival collection through structured metadata, relational networks, and new forms of digital navigation.

 

Gianni Vattimo (Turin, 1936–2023)

He was Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Turin and a former Member of the European Parliament. He studied in Turin with the existentialist philosopher Luigi Pareyson and graduated in 1959. After studying with Karl Löwith and Hans-Georg Gadamer in Heidelberg, he became Assistant Professor (1964), Professor of Aesthetics (1969), and finally Professor of Theoretical Philosophy (1982–2009) at the University of Turin, where during the 1970s he also served as Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy. He was a visiting professor at several North American universities (Yale, Los Angeles, New York University, Columbia University, and the State University of New York), led academic seminars, and gave lectures around the world. He also received numerous honorary doctorates from universities in different countries.

His books have been translated into more than twenty languages and have influenced several generations of philosophers around the world.

Distinctions and Public Activity

Vattimo was appointed Grand Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic (1997), was a member of the Accademia delle Scienze of Turin, and received the Max Planck Research Award, the Hannah Arendt Prize for Political Thought (2002), the Georgetown President’s Medal (2006), and the Gold Medal of the Círculo de Bellas Artes (2019). In 2008, he delivered the prestigious Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow. In addition to serving on the scientific committees of several international academic journals, he was a columnist for Italian publications (La Stampa, l’Espresso, l’Europeo, Il Manifesto, l’Unità, and Il Fatto Quotidiano) and international newspapers (The Guardian, El País, and Clarín, among others).