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EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Influential Italian Collector Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Lends Works by Cattelan and Chapman Brothers to Sheffield Going Public

Cyber Iconic Man, 1996, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Mixed media, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. Photo credits: Andy Brown
Cyber Iconic Man, 1996, Jake and Dinos Chapman, Mixed media, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. Photo credits: Andy Brown

A man upside down hanging from the ceiling and bleeding welcomes you to one of the aisles in the Sheffield Cathedral. Nothing unusual. A series of tapestries and latin words in neon continue within your journey. They are the highlights of four of Europe’s finest private collections of twentieth century and contemporary art on show to the public through an innovative new project: Going Public: International Art Collectors in Sheffield. In an unprecedented scale the city becomes the centre of contemporary art with a selection of works by some of the most celebrated artists from Duchamp to Sol LeWitt, from Cattelan to the Chapman Brothers.

I managed to catch up with one of the most inspiring art collectors of today: Patrizia Sandretto Re Rebaudengo. Turin-based Patrizia has been collecting contemporary art since the early 1990s and her collection constitutes more than 1,000 works. An awareness of the poor institutional support for contemporary art and the lack of exhibition spaces dedicated to young emerging artists in Italy, led Patrizia to establish the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo in 1995. She is an active patron of the some of the most important arts and charities organisations in the world such as the Tate and the MoMA in New York.

In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur Igni, 1996, Cerith Wyn Evans, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. Photo credits: Andy Brown

In Girum Imus Nocte et Consumimur Igni, 1996, Cerith Wyn Evans, Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Collection. Photo credits: Andy Brown

Can you tell us a bit about your background?

I graduated in economics from Turin University, where I live; I am married and have two sons. Art has been part of my life since I was a child. I grew up among old paintings and antiques, but never thought of them as works of art, I never felt close to them or felt they were part of my life. In 1992 I bought my first four contemporary works. I then became an avid reader of art catalogues and books, visiting galleries and museums and, most of all, I started to get to know the artists, to visit their studios and to establish an authentic relationship with many of them. Meeting these artists opened up a whole new world for me.

What made you decide to collect and to promote contemporary Art?

Establishing a relationship with many artists, something that could certainly never happen if I were interested in ancient art, was the reason why I started collecting contemporary art. I liked the possibility to talk with them, to better understand their work. My curiosity and passion led me also to visit many museums and cultural institutions abroad – in Italy there was such a little consideration for contemporary art at that time. The lack of institutions, the desire to support young artists and to share my Collection led me in 1995 to establish the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo, a non-profit institution that works as an observatory on art and the artists of today.

Can you explain us the choice of works by Cattelan and Chapman brothers for the Sheffield Cathedral?

Both works address and challenge traditional notions related to the history of Christianity. Cattelan’s neon installation is part of a larger series that the artist devoted to the religious imagery of Christmas, in this case, the star which guided the three Magi to Jesus’ place of birth. However, this holy symbol is reconfigured to include a notorious sign, the logo of the Italian terrorist group Red Brigades. The artist creates a short-circuit between politics and religion, merging two set of values which are at the core of Italian identity.

On the other side, the Chapman’s installation employs the famed iconography of Saint Sebastian’s martyrdom, and the frightening visions related to the ferocity of man against man through history, while updating it to 21st Century anxieties about genetic engineering. The work is really strong in the way it represents violence, but the idea, shared with the Dean of the Cathedral Peter Bradley, whom I was happy to work with, is that a church is a proper place where to think about the urgent and challenging issues of our time.

What is your next project? How are you going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Sandretto Re Rebaudengo Foundation?
Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo celebrates its 20th anniversary confirming its mission: to support and promote young artists, bringing an ever growing public closer to contemporary art and collaborate, towards these aims, with other institutions, in Italy and abroad. We will continue commissioning new projects, like the on-going exhibition by Ian Cheng and the solo exhibition by Adrian Villar Rojas opening in November, which will include many new productions. Next year we’ll celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Young Curators Residency Programme, that every years brings three young professionals selected among the best international schools to meet the Italian art scene. And we will also continue to focus on education and on international cooperations, that bring the Collection to travel in the world reaching a larger audience, like the on-going exhibition “Spin Off” currently in Quito.

Going Public: International Art Collectors in Sheffield, 16 September – 12 December 2015

www.goingpublicsheffield.org Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo http://www.fsrr.org

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