Antonello da Messina's Identity and the Palermo Exhibition

A review of the Antonello da Messina exhibition in Palermo criticizes its supermarket-like display and the absence of two promised major paintings, replaced by cheap photocopies. The exhibition was promoted by the Assessorato regionale dei Beni Culturali e dell'Identità Siciliana, which the author sees as contradicting its own mission. The article explores Antonello's cultural identity, formed in Naples, Rome, Venice, and Flanders, blending Mediterranean sensuality with Flemish materialism. The author compares Antonello's portraits to Beckett's idea that 'everything that is, is here,' emphasizing minimalism and psychological depth. Leonardo Sciascia's view of the 'unknown sailor' portrait is cited: the face could be anyone, challenging class-based physiognomy. In contrast, Federico Zeri's description of the Ecce Homo at the Metropolitan Museum of Art as having a 'mafioso' expression is contested. The article is by Marcello Faletra, published in Artribune Magazine #48.