Pourquoi l'art? at Basilica di San Celso: 18 Contemporary Artists in Medieval Milan

The Basilica di San Celso in Milan, founded before the year 1000, hosts the exhibition "Pourquoi l'art?" organized by Marco Orler International Gallery. Curated by Angela Madesani, the show features 18 Italian and international artists whose works engage in dialogue with the church's ancient capitals and frescoes. The title piece, Ben Vautier's "Pourquoi l'art?", is placed behind the altar. Artists include Hermann Nitsch, Stanley Boxer, Emilio Vedova, Hans Hartung, Paolo Scheggi, Imi Knoebel, Sam Francis, Gianfranco Baruchello, Valerio Adami, and Julian Opie. The exhibition continues the basilica's contemporary art programming following Nina Carini's "Aperçues." The show explores the question of why art is made, studied, and written about, with works ranging from Nitsch's sanguine painting to Boxer's colorful canvas, and from Vedova's violent blacks to Scheggi's soft modularity.