Vittorio Sgarbi Defends Caravaggio Loan to Mart Amid Controversy

Vittorio Sgarbi, president of the Mart museum in Rovereto, defends the loan of Caravaggio's 'Seppellimento di Santa Lucia' from the Fondo Edifici di Culto (FEC) for an exhibition at Mart, which pairs the Baroque masterpiece with works by Alberto Burri. Sgarbi refutes accusations from a self-styled social promotion association, detailing the project's origins in June 2019, approvals from regional and national authorities (including former interior undersecretary Candiani, Sicilian president Musumeci, Trentino president Fugatti, superintendent Aprile, and FEC board chaired by Uffizi director Eike Schmidt), and the restoration by the Istituto Centrale del Restauro. He denies promises of €350,000, explaining the figure was an informal estimate for a climate box later deemed unnecessary. The painting will return to the Santuario di Santa Lucia in Syracuse after the show. Sgarbi also announces a future exhibition of Mart masterpieces at Palazzo Bellomo in Syracuse.