Today, the Italian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Antonio Tajani, inaugurated “Cellotex Rivoli, 14”, a work of art by the famous artist Alberto Burri, which expands the Farnesina Collection.
“Since the beginning of my mandate, I have strived to enhance the Farnesina Collection, also with foreign guests. I want it to be a fully-fledged Italian Museum of Contemporary Art. We are working to promote it abroad as part of our cultural diplomacy action, but also to make it better known in Italy, expanding the possibilities for visits by the public to Rome,” commented Tajani, who also emphasised the strong link with the individual Italian regions — Umbria in Burri’s case, and thus with the local diplomacy action carried out by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation.
The work “Cellotex Rivoli, 14” is on free loan from Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri, which is committed to the preservation and promotion of the artist’s work.
It has been installed in the Hall of Honour on the first floor of the Farnesina, where foreign dignitaries are received. It will therefore have maximum visibility. A work of particular value, it was produced in 1991, narrating one of the most mature phases of Burri (1915-1995), a figure of particular importance in the Italian and world art scene of the last century.
The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Professor Stefano Valeri, member of the Executive Committee of Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri and former professor at La Sapienza University, and Anna Mattirolo, member of the Scientific Committee of the Farnesina Collection.
The Farnesina Collection, a contemporary art collection of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, comprises approximately 700 works representing the major protagonists of the Italian artistic scene of the 20th and 21st centuries, with an ever-increasing focus on the most current research and languages. Thanks to the free loan formula, the Collection is constantly updated through a regular rotation of works, in collaboration with the main Italian museums, galleries and foundations.
