Antonio Presti Opens New Art Hotel in Sicily After Previous Closure
After closing his Atelier sul Mare in Castel di Tusa in August 2023 due to safety violations and bureaucratic hurdles, Sicilian patron Antonio Presti announces the opening of a new hotel-museum in Villa Margi. Named Atelier Sul Mare, Suite D'Autore – Asteroide 20049antoniopresti, the structure honors Presti's association with asteroid 20049, a recognition by GAL Hassin and astrophysicist Mario Di Martino. The project centers on the Finestra sul Mare, originally Tano Festa's Monumento per un poeta morto (1990), which will be restored with artistic lighting by Carmen Manti and Giovanni Pinna. The hotel features works from the Fondazione Antonio Presti's private collection, including installations by Mauro Staccioli, Mario Ceroli, and Hidetoshi Nagasawa, plus design objects. Twenty rooms will be dedicated to young artists selected by curators and critics, with triennial rotations. Presti aims to transform Villa Margi into a cultural hub driving tourism and economic development, moving the foundation's headquarters there and creating an artistic skyline along the beaches of Torremuzza-Motta d'Affermo, Villa Margi-Reitano, and Santo Stefano di Camastra. The initiative also involves local municipalities, schools, and universities to train young artists.
Key facts
- Antonio Presti closed the original Atelier sul Mare in Castel di Tusa on August 14, 2023, after a Carabinieri inspection and fines for safety non-compliance.
- The new hotel opens one year later in Villa Margi, named Atelier Sul Mare, Suite D'Autore – Asteroide 20049antoniopresti.
- The asteroid 20049 was named after Presti, a recognition by GAL Hassin and astrophysicist Mario Di Martino.
- The project revolves around Tano Festa's 1990 work Monumento per un poeta morto (Finestra sul Mare), which will be restored with lighting by Carmen Manti and Giovanni Pinna.
- The hotel-museum includes works from the Fondazione Antonio Presti's private collection, such as pieces by Mauro Staccioli, Mario Ceroli, and Hidetoshi Nagasawa.
- Twenty rooms will be dedicated to young artists for three-year terms, selected by curators, critics, and academy teachers.
- The foundation will move its headquarters to Villa Margi, and the beaches of three municipalities will become an artistic skyline with installations and sculptures.
- Presti stated: 'The bureaucratic power that has always opposed the Atelier sul Mare project has lost all its battles thanks to the power of the politics of beauty proper to art.'
Entities
Artists
- Antonio Presti
- Tano Festa
- Mauro Staccioli
- Mario Ceroli
- Hidetoshi Nagasawa
- Carmen Manti
- Giovanni Pinna
- Mario Di Martino
Institutions
- Atelier sul Mare
- Fiumara d'Arte
- Triennale della Contemporaneità
- GAL Hassin
- Fondazione Antonio Presti
- Artribune
- Carabinieri
Locations
- Castel di Tusa
- Catania
- Villa Margi
- Sicily
- Torremuzza-Motta d'Affermo
- Villa Margi-Reitano
- Santo Stefano di Camastra
- Librino
- Roma