Art for Covid-19: Italian Foundation Launches Charity E-Commerce

The Fondazione Giulio e Anna Paolini, in collaboration with publisher Colophon, the Città Nascosta project, and Mucho Mas! gallery, launched Art for Covid-19, an e-commerce platform selling artworks at below-market prices to benefit the Protezione Civile di Codogno during the coronavirus emergency. Director Bettina Della Casa stated the idea originated with Camilla Fiorin of Colophon Arte, focusing on solidarity and forced isolation, with galleries joining later. The site went live on a Monday and has seen daily sales, with strong demand for established names and surprising interest in lesser-known artists. Other initiatives include Piasa's online auction (April 3-5) for French health authorities, with Thaddaeus Ropac's collaboration; Hauser & Wirth donating 10% of online sales to the WHO; and Blindarte's Art To Stop Covid-19, led by Memmo Grilli and Edoardo Osculati, supporting Lombardy and the Istituto Pascale in Naples. Artists Alessandro Piangiamore sold a work from his 'La cera di Roma' series on Instagram to Veronica Siciliani Fendi, proceeds going to Rome's Spallanzani Hospital. The project involves collectors, artists, gallerists, and dealers, with works by Giulio Paolini, Agostino Bonalumi, Flavio Favelli, Arnaldo Pomodoro, David Reimondo, and others. Della Casa noted the extraordinary response and that the format is charity-specific, not intended as a permanent sales model, though it raises questions about future online art sales.