The exhibition offers a cross section that is almost unknown in 60s arts and beyond, with works that have almost never been exhibited in Italy as they belong to some of the major private collectors in our Country. From Kosuth to Fontana, from Warhol to Pistoletto to Mappeltorphe, the exhibit expands over all the trends and the shapes that art has taken on in the past few years to tell us in its own way about the society we live in.

Not just the established masters, but also the young and the very young are there: Abramovic, Botto&Bruno, Jeff Koons, Beecroft, Perino&Vele are just some of the many talents on show, to confirm Palazzo delle Papesse as one the Italian centres of modern art. The exhibition, wanted and organised by Sergio Risaliti, ex director of the Centre, and by Achille Bonito Oliva, investigates the phenomenon of public and private «patroning» and the personal choices which sustain it, offering at the same time to the spectator the possibility of seeing some of the most significant experiences of today’s art; also some curiosities find space, bearing witness to a sort of continuity with the «Mirabilia» collections which, like Futurama, bring us back to a tradition that has its roots in the Renaissance.

What escapes a logical reading are the exhibiting criteria; grouped in the respect of a thematic-chronological order, the works appear devoid of a context of reference, arranged in a confused way, dictated partly by the structure of the exhibiting spaces, but especially by the wish to keep hidden the identity of the single collectors. This way it is impossible for the spectator to comprehend the criteria and the personal tastes that have led to the development of each collection.

The exhibition is created within the context of the project «Collezionismi» which this year, after «Artisti Collezionisti» and «Jim Dine: opere dalle collezioni private italiane», reaches its third edition. A different and stimulating itinerary is derived, through the most appreciated names of the modern artistic landscape, capable of illustrating the most current trends of the market of art.

«De Gustibus. Collezione privata Italia»
Where: Palazzo delle Papesse ,Via di Città 126, Siena; Santa Maria della Scala Piazza Duomo, Siena
When: until 12th May 2002
Opening times: Papesse: Tuesday – Sunday 12 pm – 7 pm; Santa Maria della Scala everyday 10 am – 6 pm
Tickets: 4 €; concessions 3 €
Info: Papesse: 0577 22071 Santa Maria della Scala 0577 224811

April.2002

Palazzo delle Papesse (In Italian)
Santa Maria della Scala (In Italian)