The Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma announced the winners of the 18th Quadriennale d’arte awards, Fantastica, during the official awards ceremony hosted at Palazzo Esposizioni in Rome. The awards confirm the institution’s commitment to highlighting the most significant research in contemporary Italian art. Three prizes were awarded: the Quadriennale Prize, the Young Art Prize and the Young Collectors Prize. The ceremony was attended by Andrea Lombardinilo, President of the Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma; Tatyana Nikiforova, Head of Artistic Heritage of Fondazione Roma, cultural partner of the exhibition and supporter of the two main prizes; Antonio Valentino, President of the Young Collectors Association; Federica Pecci Ruggieri and Giampiero Ruzzetti, Vice Presidents of the association, together with the juries and the winning artists.
As a cultural partner, Fondazione Roma is supporting two main prizes: the Quadriennale Prize, worth 20,000 euros and with no age limit, for the artist at the 18th Quadriennale whose work presents a relevant significance in the context of Italian contemporary art, and the Young Art Prize, worth 10,000 euros, reserved for artists under 35, born since 1989, whose research opens new perspectives. The selection of the winners of both prizes is entrusted by the Foundation’s Board of Directors to a jury composed of Giuliana Benassi, Lorenzo Balbi and Costantino D’Orazio. The winners’ works remain the property of their respective artists and remain on display as part of the Fantastica exhibition. The Quadrennial Prize was awarded to the artistic duo Vedovamazzei, composed of Maristella Scala, born in Naples in 1964, and Simeone Crispino, born in Frattaminore in 1962, for the work entitled Vedovamazzei don’t scare us, we have the shot in the barrel without the safety catch (1994, glass, plastic, distilled). The work is exhibited in the section La mia immagine è ciò da cui mi faccio rappresentare: l’autore-pratto, curated by Luca Massimo Barbero.
“For the coherence and maturity of their presentation, capable of restoring in an exemplary way the different decades of a research in which political commitment and aesthetic reflection coexist with a careful rereading of the art of the past,” the jury claims. “The works exhibited combine depth and lightness, maintaining that subtle thread of irony that distinguishes their language. Their participation fits particularly effectively into a Quadrennial reflecting on its past and present, and into the curatorial path dedicated to the theme of the portrait, the collective portrait and the self-portrait. In this context, the boule de neige depicting the demonstration against the artists themselves offers itself as a metaphor for the self-portrait and the condition of the artist in the art system.”
The Young Art Prize was awarded to Antonio Della Guardia, born in Salerno in 1990, who was present at the exhibition with the performance Know not be, included in the section The Unfinished Body, curated by Alessandra Troncone. The award, worth 10,000 euros, is given to an artist under 35 whose research is particularly relevant to the opening of new perspectives in contemporary art.
“For the ability to fit with sensitivity and rigor into a precise architectural context, rereading and transforming it through images and actions conceived ad hoc,” the jury added. “The performance, in which two performers trace and reinterpret with the body the architecture of the Palazzo Esposizioni Roma, returns the space as a work and sign, in a work studied in the smallest detail, so that bodies, architecture and sound become language and celebration of a symbolic place for the event. This identification between body and architecture fits perfectly into the reflection dedicated to the relationship between space, gesture and contemporary artistic identity.”
The third award, the Young Collectors Prize, was given to Lulu Nuti for the work Tube (regardant)(2024, wrought iron), exhibited in the Untitled section, curated by Francesco Stocchi. The prize, intended for a work created by an artist under 40, consists of a donation from the Young Collectors Association to the MAXXI Foundation. Initially, the association selected four tied finalists, Lulu Nuti, Agnes Questionmark, Emilio Vavarella and Shafei Xia, while the final decision was made by the Scientific Committee, composed of Monia Trombetta, Daniela Lancioni and Marcello Smarrelli.
“The Jury very favorably appreciated the works of the four candidates/candidates, all of which were outstanding in terms of aesthetics, conceptual values and relevance to contemporary issues, making the awarding of the Prize more difficult,” the jury stated. “After a careful examination of the works, the Prize, unanimously awarded, was given to Lulù Nuti for the absolute originality with which the artist tackles the material by making sculptures articulated in form and meaning. The Jury found particularly significant the relationship between work and space that transforms closed forms into organic elements in dynamic dialogue with the surrounding environment.”
The 18th Quadriennale d’arte, promoted by Fondazione La Quadriennale di Roma with the participation of the Ministry of Culture, Lazio Region, Roma Capitale, Rome Chamber of Commerce and the General Directorate for Contemporary Creativity of the Ministry of Culture, is organized in collaboration with Azienda Speciale Palaexpo. Parallel to the awards, the Fantatalks continue, meetings curated by Nicolas Ballario, inspired by the insight of philosopher Manuel Sérgio and made famous by José Mourinho that “those who only know about art, know nothing about art.” The Fantatalks aim to enhance the interdisciplinary spirit of the exhibition, with dialogues between the curators of the sections and personalities from different fields, including sports, music, cinema and pop culture. The goal of the Fantatalks is to open new readings of artworks and artistic practices, extending the discussion to ethical, spatial, narrative and performative dimensions.
The calendar of events continues through January 2026. On December 10, 2025, at 6 p.m., is the meeting The Unfinished Body, introduced by Andrea Lombardinilo and with talks by Gigi Cristoforetti, Igiaba Scego,Tutti Fenomeni and Alessandra Troncone, moderated by Nicolas Ballario. On Dec. 18, 2025, at 5 p.m., there will be Art and Cultural Welfare, with Flavio Favelli in dialogue with Roberta Paltrinieri and Elisa Fulco, and at 6:30 p.m. Il tempo delle immagini, with talks by José Tolentino de Mendonça, Francesca Cappelletti, Giordano BrunoGuerri, Claudio Strinati and Emanuela Mazzonis di Pralafera.
On January 8, 2026, at 6 p.m., the meeting We in the World. Survey on the Foreign Perception of Contemporary Italian Art will feature Christian Caliandro, introduced by Marco Delogu and AndreaLombardinilo, with talks by Angelo Piero Cappello and Filippo La Rosa (tbc). On Jan. 9, 2026, at 5 p.m., Answering Me, Beauty, focused on the poetic reading of art, with Davide Rondoni and performative interventions by Giuditta Sin, will be proposed; at 6:30 p.m. Untitled will follow, with interventions by Angelo Crespi, Maria Luisa Frisa and Francesco Stocchi. On Jan. 13, 2026, at 6 p.m., is the meeting Memoria e musei contemporanei, introduced by Andrea Lombardinilo, with interventions by Annalisa Tota, Emanuela Bruni and Cristiana Perrella, moderated by Nicolas Ballario. On January 15, 2026, also at 6 p.m., will be The Canticle Promoting the Arts. Signs of St. Francis’ Influence in Art and Poetry from Giotto to Gregory Corso, with Beatrice Buscaroli, AngeloPiero Cappello and Davide Rondoni, moderated by Lorenza Fruci.
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| Here are the winners of the awards at the 18th Quadrennial Art Exhibition in Rome |
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