Five ceramic fish in Bernini's Barcaccia: Rome's public art controversy

An installation by Roman artist Giangaetano Patanè placed five ceramic fish in the Barcaccia fountain at Piazza di Spagna, Rome, from May 25 through June 2023. The work, titled 'Gli ultimi cinque pesci del mare,' carries an environmental message about ocean pollution. The Barcaccia, designed by Pietro Bernini and completed by Gian Lorenzo Bernini in 1626, is a Baroque travertine fountain shaped like a half-submerged boat. Patanè's fish are polychrome ceramic objects scattered on the fountain's bottom. The project was proposed by the artist and approved by Rome's Superintendency for Cultural Heritage without a public tender or budget, costing the administration only an informational plaque. The article criticizes the work as academically naive, overwhelmed by Bernini's masterpiece, and lacking conceptual force, arguing that public art commissions should involve higher standards and international artists.