Villa Faravelli in Imperia Reopens with New Contemporary Art Program

Villa Faravelli, a 1940s architectural gem overlooking the sea in Imperia, Italy, is launching a new chapter as the M.A.C.I. – Museo d’Arte Contemporanea di Imperia. Starting March 25, 2017, under the umbrella title Progetto Tempo ’17, the venue will host a dense schedule of temporary exhibitions, live performances, and collateral events through summer. The renewed management is entrusted to the Sanremo-based cooperative C.M.C. (Collegio Musici e Cerimonieri) of Angelo Giacobbe for two years, aiming to boost visitor numbers through an edutainment approach. The museum houses the collection of Genoese architect Lino Invernizzi, donated by his widow Maria Teresa Danè, valued at €2.5 million. The collection includes about sixty works, featuring two iconic cuts by Lucio Fontana, Marino Marini's Cavallo e cavaliere, Robert Delaunay's Paysage, and Piero Manzoni's Achrome. The inaugural event is a tribute to David Bowie with Italian pop artists led by Marco Lodola. Villa Faravelli first opened as an exhibition space in 2005 with a solo show of Georg Baselitz, who now lives and works in Imperia part-time. The city of Imperia faces economic challenges, including a municipal budget deficit under mayor Carlo Capacci and the closure of the Porto Maurizio railway station, but is positioning itself as a cultural tourism destination beyond the beach season. The Naval Museum opened in January with a section on modern seafaring, with the historical part to follow in June-July.