Ismaele Nones and Teodora Axente to Design Palio di Siena Banners for 2026
The city council of Siena has appointed artists Ismaele Nones and Teodora Axente to craft the ceremonial banners for the Palio di Siena in 2026. Nones, a Venice Academy of Fine Arts alumnus born in Trento in 1992, will create the banner for the Madonna di Provenzano, which will celebrate the 800th anniversary of Saint Francis's death on July 2. Meanwhile, Romanian artist Axente will design the banner for the Madonna dell'Assunta, scheduled for August 16. She is the recipient of the Grand Prize at the 3rd Frissiras Award and has showcased her work at MoCA Boulder and other locations. Axente's solo exhibition at Santa Maria della Scala in Siena, featuring 25 canvases from her residency, is open until January 11.
Key facts
- Ismaele Nones and Teodora Axente selected to design Palio di Siena banners for 2026.
- Nones designs the July 2 banner (Madonna di Provenzano); Axente the August 16 banner (Madonna dell'Assunta).
- Nones, born 1992 in Trento, graduate of Venice Academy of Fine Arts.
- Nones had a solo exhibition at Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Lissone in 2025 curated by Stefano Raimondi.
- July 2026 banner must reference 800th anniversary of Saint Francis's death and his link to Siena.
- Axente won Grand Prize at 3rd Frissiras Award for European Painting and Essl Art Award.
- Axente's solo exhibition at Santa Maria della Scala runs until January 11, 2026.
- Axente's exhibition curated by Riccardo Freddo and Michela Eremita, in collaboration with Galleria Rosenfeld, London.
Entities
Artists
- Ismaele Nones
- Teodora Axente
- Stefano Raimondi
- Cristiano Leone
- Riccardo Freddo
- Michela Eremita
- Uwe Goldenstein
- Giotto
- Cimabue
- Vermeer
- Cranach
- Holbein the Younger
- Flora Sigismondi
- Leonor Fini
- Ovid
- Kafka
- Kroneberg
- Bellmer
- Helga Marsala
Institutions
- Giunta comunale di Siena
- Accademia di Belle Arti di Venezia
- Museo d'Arte Contemporanea di Lissone
- Museo di Santa Maria della Scala
- Fondazione Santa Maria della Scala
- Galleria Rosenfeld
- MoCA Boulder
- Museum of Art of Cluj-Napoca
- Hugo Voeten Art Center
- Selected Artists Edition
- Artribune
Locations
- Siena
- Italy
- Trento
- Venice
- Lissone
- Boulder
- Colorado
- United States
- Cluj-Napoca
- Romania
- Herentals
- Belgium
- London
- United Kingdom
- Assisi
- Costantinopoli