Collector Rebecca Russo on Art as Therapy During Pandemic

In an interview with Artribune, collector and psychotherapist Rebecca Russo, president of the Fondazione Videoinsight, discusses her art acquisitions during the 2020 pandemic. She purchased works by Zehra Doğan, Edson Luli, Cristian Avram, Nebojša Despotović, and a photographic portrait by Michael Clegg and Martin Guttmann. Acquisitions were made through Prometeo Gallery (Ida Pisani), Boccanera Gallery (Giorgia Lucchi Boccanera), and Lia Rumma Gallery in Milan. Russo describes collecting as a therapeutic act, calling her acquisitions "vaccines and emergency painkillers." Her foundation launched an online "Covid Emergency Program" via the Videoinsight Art for Care app (created in 2018) and plans to introduce the "Videoinsight Cube" format in 2021 for physical exhibitions without crowding. She criticizes pre-Covid art world haste and superficiality, advocating for deeper engagement with art.