Vittorio Sgarbi fakes Gaetano Pesce's death to protest Florence mayor's decision

On October 19, 2016, a false rumor of Gaetano Pesce's death circulated after Vittorio Sgarbi posted on Facebook and someone edited Pesce's Wikipedia page. The hoax was revealed on October 21 at the opening of 'Maestà Tradita' at Museo Novecento in Florence. Mayor Dario Nardella had blocked the installation of a large sculpture in Piazza Santa Maria Novella until Pesce could attend, due to his spinal surgery. Sgarbi admitted he invented the death to pressure the mayor, who did not react. The exhibition, curated by Sgarbi and Sergio Risaliti, focuses on Pesce's vision of women with sensory elements like smells and sounds, featuring 30 drawings, many unpublished. It runs until February 8, 2017. Pesce, born in La Spezia in 1939, is alive and well in New York.