Nicola Verlato on the Spigolatrice di Sapri scandal and the crisis of figurative sculpture in Italy

Artist Nicola Verlato argues that the controversy over the 'Spigolatrice di Sapri' statue—criticized for its exaggerated buttocks and accused of sexism—misses the real issue: the poor quality of execution and the collapse of figurative art education in Italy. He notes that while many top contemporary artists have turned to monumental sculpture, none have academic training in drawing and modeling. The statue's anatomical inaccuracies, clumsy drapery, and rigid pose stem from a lack of foundational skills. Verlato blames Italian art academies, which since the late 1960s have abandoned teaching objective knowledge of anatomy, composition, and form. He compares this to abolishing scales and harmony in music conservatories. In the US, private schools like the New York Academy of Art fill the gap, attracting foreign students to Italy who find no equivalent training. Verlato also criticizes mainstream artists like Damien Hirst (at Galleria Borghese), Francesco Vezzoli, and Maurizio Cattelan for outsourcing fabrication without understanding form, resulting in clumsy works. He calls for public institutions to create specialized courses and for a recovery of the unity between conception and execution in sculpture.