Art at La Statale
The University of Milan is pleased to announce a programme aimed at positioning contemporary art against the backdrop of the Ca’Granda courtyard, transforming it into an open-air sculpture garden: Art at La Statale, a project that engages artists, community members, gallery owners, and art critics.
Starting in 2016, Mikayel Ohanjanyan, Nanda Vigo and Paolo Icaro have created artwork and site-specific installations, some of which have become part of the University’s permanent collection.
Those works accessible to the public are on display at the main library, in the vaulted-ceiling room. These, for the moment, are: “Prospettiva Introversa 11” (Introverted Perspective 11) by Mikayel Ohanjanyan and “Genesis Light” by Nanda Vigo.
Art at La Statale has turned a Seventeenth-Century space (the work of Richini) into a sophisticated mise en scène for a dialogue between historic heritage, and contemporary interpretations.
The collection born of Art at La Statale joins the major 20th Century artwork, ranging from Wildt to Fontana, previously on display at the historic Ca’ Granda sight in Via Festa del Perdono.
The plaster bust of St Ambrose is in fact the work of Adolf Wildt. Created in 1924, it has been positioned on the lateral niche of the colonnade circling the main courtyard since the end of World War II. The foyer to Via Festa del Perdono 3, on the other hand, is home to "Minerva", the bronze bas-relief created by Lucio Fontana in 1956 as part of a major restoration of the historic building, partially destroyed by bombs during the Second World War.
Last in chronological order of arrival is “Untitled” by Jannis Kounellis, on loan to the University from the Arnaldo Pomodoro Foundation. This is a long iron girder running from floor to ceiling, topped by a great cascade of artificial leaves. As they naturally droop downward, they form a kind of capital, perfectly at home within the architecture designed by Piero Portaluppi in the early 1950’s.
At nearly five-and-a-half metres, Kounellis’ work is situated in spaces adjacent to the foyer at Via Festa del Perdono, 3.