Beuys and Burri's Divergent Visions for Gibellina Recalled Ahead of 2026 Capital Year

Ahead of Gibellina being named Italy's first Capital of Contemporary Art in 2026, the article revisits the contrasting responses of Joseph Beuys and Alberto Burri to the earthquake-devastated Sicilian town in the early 1980s. In December 1981, Beuys visited Gibellina, where the 1968 earthquake and subsequent demolitions had left ruins. Photographed by Mimmo Jodice, Beuys proposed planting 300 oaks as a 'Sacred Grove'—a symbol of regeneration—but the project was never realized except for one tree planted in 2001. His concept echoed his 7000 Oaks project for documenta 7 in Kassel, where the last tree was planted by his son Wenzel on June 12, 1987. Beuys had previously responded to the 1980 Irpinia earthquake with his installation 'Terremoto in Palazzo' at Lucio Amelio's gallery in Naples, featuring a performance on April 17, 1981. In contrast, Burri, who also visited Gibellina in 1981, created the 'Grande Cretto'—a massive concrete artwork covering the ruins like a protective scab, completed in 2015 at 86,000 square meters. Burri described it as 'archeology of the future,' preserving the memory of the disaster. The article also recounts a 1980 event at Rocca Paolina in Perugia where Beuys and Burri were to debate but Beuys delivered a monologue while Burri created the sculpture 'Grande Ferro R.P. 80.' The author, David Camporeale, advocates for realizing Beuys' Sacred Grove to complement Burri's Cretto.