Michelangelo Pistoletto Proclaims Pope Francis First 'Saint of Art'

On December 17, 2025, Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto proclaimed Pope Francis as the first 'saint of art' through a performative act and video work titled 'Francesco – Santo dell'arte.' The gesture, which Pistoletto describes as an artistic rather than religious canonization, redefines sainthood as a symbolic and ethical category within contemporary art. The work originated from Pistoletto's response to television images of Pope Francis's tomb at Santa Maria Maggiore, featuring a simple cross that he interpreted as an opening rather than a symbol of sacrifice. Pistoletto stated, 'Francis wanted to die as an artist. He made his life a work.' The video employs a mirroring device that prevents direct veneration, instead creating a reflective space that implicates the viewer. The act is framed as a 'shifting of field' that retrieves sanctity from dogmatic religion and repositions it as a form of moral authority without power. Pistoletto's work reactivates an aura through technological and digital means, challenging the notion of contemporary art as mere critique and proposing art as an instituting practice capable of opening shared spaces of meaning. The proclamation was covered by Artribune in an article by Francesco Monico.