Art World Mourns Jannis Kounellis: Tributes and Funeral Plans

The art world is in mourning following the death of Greek-born artist Jannis Kounellis, a pivotal figure in Arte Povera. Tributes have poured in from critics, curators, collectors, and institutions. A wake will be held in Rome at the Campidoglio's Sala Protomoteca on Friday, February 17, from 2:00 PM to 7:00 PM. His funeral is scheduled for Monday, February 20, at 11:30 AM at the Church of the Artists. Social media has been flooded with remembrances. Alessandra Mammì wrote, 'Ciao Jannis, you take away the best part of the 20th century and leave us more alone.' Critic Umberto di Marino called him 'a great artist and a great man.' Curator Ludovico Pratesi highlighted Kounellis's choice of Italy to dialogue with masters like Caravaggio and Michelangelo, and his extraordinary exhibition in Pesaro. Maria Gloria Conti Bicocchi, founder of art/tapes/22, expressed deep personal loss. Francesco Cascino described him as a 'giant of visual thought.' Institutions including Fondazione Arnaldo Pomodoro, MAMbo Bologna, Ca' Pesaro, Fondazione Pino Pascali, Madre museum, and Fondazione Merz have issued statements. Kounellis won the fifth edition of the Pino Pascali Prize in 1978. The Madre museum's director Andrea Viliani thanked him for making Italy, Campania, Naples, and the museum a theater of art's strength and intelligence.