NewFaustianWorld: A Multidisciplinary Project on Virtuosity in Contemporary Painting

Raffaele Quattrone's NewFaustianWorld project, which began as a book idea in December 2016, has evolved into a documentary film and an exhibition, challenging the marginalization of painting in contemporary art. The project features 17 international painters—including Glenn Brown, Njideka Akunyili Crosby, Philip Taaffe, and Raqib Shaw—whom Quattrone identifies as possessing the 'Faustian Factor': a strong artistic identity and extreme virtuosity that rivals digital media. The documentary, directed by Piero Passaro, premiered alongside the book in November 2018 at the Real Academia de España in Rome. The exhibition opened on January 19, 2019, at Augeo Art Space in Rimini, running until February 23, 2019. During Bologna Art Week, the project will be presented at Cinema Odeon on February 1, with screenings on February 2 and 3. Future plans include screenings at the Milkbusch Short Film Festival in Cape Town in March and at Espronceda Center for Art & Culture in Barcelona in April, in collaboration with the Istituto Italiano di Cultura di Barcellona. Quattrone emphasizes that the project aims to refocus attention on quality and merit in an art world that often rewards social and economic capital over skill.