Malpensa Airport's amateurish art displays criticized ahead of Milan Cortina 2026 Olympics

Massimiliano Tonelli on Artribune harshly criticizes the art exhibitions at Milan's Malpensa Airport, Italy's second-largest intercontinental hub and the primary airport for the country's economic capital. He argues that the displays, managed by SEA (the publicly-owned company operating Milan's airports), are amateurish, poorly curated, and worsen the already dated architecture. Tonelli notes that while some exhibitions feature notable artists and curators, the overall presentation—using art as decoration, with mismatched works and miserable graphic panels—undermines the artists and creates a cacophony. He questions why SEA, which handles security, maintenance, and airline services professionally, treats art so dilettantishly. Tonelli suggests either stopping the program or studying best practices from other airports with top-tier cultural programming. He specifically calls for the removal of these displays before the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan Cortina, when the airport will host international delegations, athletes, and journalists. The article includes promotional sections for Artribune's newsletters: Incanti (art market), Render (urban regeneration), and PAX (cultural tourism), as well as a biography of Tonelli, who holds a degree in Communication Sciences from the University of Siena and was director of Exibart and Gambero Rosso.