Sgarbi stages rival show in Kounellis room at Palermo's Museo Riso

A controversy has erupted at the Museo Regionale di Palazzo Riso in Palermo over the use of a room housing a site-specific installation by Jannis Kounellis. Artists Alessandro Bazan, Francesco De Grandi, Fulvio Di Piazza, and Andrea Di Marco, along with curators Sergio Troisi and Alessandro Pinto, were mounting the exhibition "La scuola di Palermo" when they were told the Kounellis room could not be used due to a clause in the acquisition agreement. However, shortly after the exhibition opened on March 22, 2018, Vittorio Sgarbi—who had just resigned as regional assessor for cultural heritage—curated a solo show for Enrico Robusti in that same room, titled "Morte e Vita." The artists claim Sgarbi threatened to close their exhibition if his instructions were not followed and later inserted a panel with his own text into their space without consultation. Sgarbi defended his actions, stating the room, paid for by the region, should be "vivified" and that he found a use for works that would otherwise go to storage. The exhibition "La scuola di Palermo" was supported by Elenk'Art and Galleria Giovanni Bonelli.