ROME, February 6. /TASS/. A museum of modern art will officially open its doors to visitors on June 21 in the Ardinghelli Palace which was damaged in a major earthquake in the Italian town of L’Aquila in 2009 but has been since reconstructed thanks to funding allocated by Russia, Fondazione MAXXI, the National Museum of 21st Century Arts, General Secretary Pietro Barrera announced Thursday.
"We can finally reveal that MAXXI’s branch in L’Aquila will be opened on the first day of summer - June 21. It is not our achievement but that of great restoration artists. It was also possible due to generous financial support from Russia," Barrera said.
He underlined that it is especially symbolic that the museum is launching its branch on its tenth anniversary. "On March 31, the official handover ceremony of the palace where all works have been completed will take place in presence of [Italian] Minister of Cultural Heritage and Activities Dario Franceschini. We will arrange separate one-time cultural initiatives there already starting in April," he added.
Barrera told TASS that the initial exhibition opening on June 21 artworks of six young artists - five Italians and one Russian, Anastasia Potyomkina - were chosen. Their pieces were created "specifically for L’Aquila with consideration of the town’s cultural heritage," he said. "Works of two photographers will be added to these artworks as well as important exhibits from MAXXI’s permanent collection," the foundation’s general secretary shared. "However, as with any other modern art museum, exhibits will change," he emphasized.
After the L’Aquila earthquake, the Italian authorities addressed the G8 leaders at the inter-governmental political forum asking for help to restore the historical monuments damaged or destroyed by the forces of nature. Russia chose to rebuild the palace constructed for the aristocratic Ardinghelli family in the first half of the 17th century, as well as the church of San Gregorio Magno that dates back to the beginning of the 14th century, only the altar of which survived. In total, Russia allocated 9 mln euro, 7.2 mln of which were spent on the palace and 1.8 mln were used to restore the church. Both buildings have been fully restored.
It was Minister Franceschini who proposed hosting MAXXI’s branch in L’Aquila a few years ago. Due to political shakeups, he later left the culture minister’s office but returned to the cabinet last September. Nevertheless, Barrera confirmed that the project to organize a MAXXI branch in the Ardinghelli Palace has never been dropped despite changes in the Italian leadership as well as the regional and municipal levels. "The work continued throughout these years. I’ll be honest, it is a rare case of stability and consistency for the Italian politics," Barrera revealed.