Italian Council 2026 announces first 12 winning projects

On July 3, 2026, the Italian Council program revealed 12 successful projects chosen from 27 submissions in Area 1 – International Commissioning of Artworks. This initiative, overseen by the Direzione Generale Creatività Contemporanea of the Italian Ministry of Culture, has allocated a budget of €2.7 million to promote contemporary Italian art. Area 1 provides funding for new creations through collaborations between Italian organizations and global institutions, with each piece being acquired by an Italian public museum. The selected projects feature partnerships with institutions from Europe, Latin America, the U.S., Indonesia, Jamaica, Tunisia, and Turkey. Noteworthy acquisitions include works by Tomás Saraceno, Michela de Mattei, and Paola Pietronave. Announcements for Areas 2 and 3 are forthcoming.