A work by Mario Merz greets visitors upon enteringthe INOC—the Candiolo National Oncology Institute: *Doppio igloo di Porto*, featuring the Fibonacci sequence, was chosen to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Allegra Agnelli Foundation for Cancer Research. The initiative stems from a collaboration between the Allegra Agnelli Foundation and the Merz Foundation and has a particularly significant feature: the artwork is intended to remain permanently within a cancer hospital. This project thus connects contemporary art with a setting traditionally associated with treatment, scientific research, and the daily lives of patients and healthcare professionals. Mario Merz’s selection thereby introduces an element into the Institute’s environment that establishes a dialogue between culture and the hospital setting.
The project was made possible thanks to the support of the Building Group and the collaboration of Intesa Sanpaolo and Gallerie d’Italia. The initiative thus marks the 40th anniversary of the Allegra Agnelli Foundation with a project that combines contemporary art and a commitment to cancer research, bringing the work of one of the leading figures in late 20th-century Italian art into a setting dedicated to patient care.
“Those who enter Candiolo do not cease to be people just to become patients,” stated Allegra Agnelli, President of the Allegra Agnelli Foundation for Cancer Research. “Over forty years, we have built an institute where research and care reach the highest possible level. But care is not just about treatment: it’s also what you see as you leave a consultation, it’s the time spent waiting, it’s the gaze of those who accompany you. Mario Merz is an artist recognized worldwide: his “numbers” have wound their way up the spiral of the Guggenheim in New York, and his works are on display at the Tate Modern and the Centre Pompidou. Art in a place of care is not merely decoration. It is a way of recognizing that before us lies an entire life, not just a disease.”
“We are delighted to partner with the Allegra Agnelli Foundation on this anniversary, bringing Mario Merz’s work to a place of hope and healing like Candiolo,” said Beatrice Merz, President of the Merz Foundation. “The Igloo and the Fibonacci sequence convey the vital energy of nature, which is constantly renewing itself: through this project, we believe that art serves as a source of inspiration and offers solace, reminding us that beauty is itself a fundamental part of human well-being and healing.”
The initiative, based on an idea by Simone Battisti, will be documented in a catalog published by Allemandi, which will be presented at Artissima 2026.
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| An igloo by Mario Merz in front of the Candiolo Cancer Institute to mark the Foundation’s 40th anniversary |
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