Copertino's €40,000 Flying Saint Statue Sparks Debate on Italian Public Art

In December 2024, the municipality of Copertino, in collaboration with the Province of Lecce, installed a 220-quintal white Apricena marble statue of Saint Joseph of Copertino in a roundabout on Via Grottella. The sculpture, by local artist Francesco Paglialunga from Veglie, depicts the patron saint in levitation, referencing his 17th-century miracles and levitations that led to a trial by the Holy Office in Naples. The work cost approximately €40,000. Critic Helga Marsala, writing for Artribune, lambasts the statue as mediocre and provincial, arguing it exemplifies the failure of Italian public art, where roundabouts become sites for kitschy religious imagery rather than contemporary, internationally informed works. She contrasts it with the potential for excellence, noting that Italy has many talented young artists and critics who could be consulted. The article also mentions other local kitsch landmarks like the Manuela Arcuri statue in Porto Cesareo and the bull in Nardò. Marsala calls for a more sophisticated approach to public art, even in small towns, and criticizes the lack of curatorial expertise in commissioning such works.