Siena Returns Donation of 478 Artworks After Failed Agreement

The Municipality of Siena has formally rescinded a 2019 donation of 478 contemporary artworks valued at €1.7 million, citing an inability to meet the donor's conditions. The City Council, led by Mayor Nicoletta Fabio, ratified the resolution on January 16, 2025, and the agreement was finalized on January 29. The anonymous collector had imposed an obligation to display all works permanently at the Santa Maria della Scala museum complex, which proved logistically and scientifically unfeasible. The collection spans from the post-war period to the 1990s. After years of bureaucratic struggles, including a legal dispute initiated by the donor in December 2022, the municipality agreed to return the works, reimburse legal costs (approximately €10,000), and cover transport expenses. The donor had also required a curator of her choice, Alberto Zanchetta, who resigned in early 2022. Former mayor Luigi De Mossi had championed the acquisition, but successive administrations failed to secure suitable exhibition spaces. The current administration deemed the conditions unsustainable, as they would have blocked the museum's temporary exhibition capacity and incurred ongoing costs. Critics, including Adriano Tortorelli of Progetto Siena and councilor Fabio Pacciani, called the affair a disaster and a failure of planning. Meanwhile, the Santa Maria della Scala Foundation, under new director Chiara Valdambrini and president Cristiano Leone, is moving forward with its 2025 program unencumbered.