Sicily governor blocks loan of Antonello's Annunciata to Milan exhibition

Sicily’s governor, Nello Musumeci, is planning to block the loan of Antonello da Messina’s celebrated Annunciation, which was to be the star of an exhibition on the Sicilian painter scheduled in Milan’s Palazzo Reale from Feb. 21 to 2l June. Sicilian sources, starting with the daily La Sicilia, report statements by Musumeci, who is opposed to moving the painting, one of the region’s most iconic, mainly for reasons related to tourism and the island’s economy, rather than for conservation reasons: “In general,” reads the quotation mark reported by local newspapers, “I am against exporting works of art outside the island. A government that aims to increase cultural tourism must work to make museums and exhibition venues accessible. We are considering whether exceptions can be imagined for special cases. But without losing sight of the main objective: every loan must translate into an economic and image return for our Island. We are tired of being blood donors to the point of allanemia.”

The refusal of the loan would be a very heavy shingle for Mondo Mostre Skira, the organizer, given that much of the publicity campaign for the Milan exhibition had theAnnunciata as its protagonist. The situation is complex, because on the one hand theAnnunciata is on the list of immovable Sicilian works drawn up in 2013 by a decree signed by the then regional councillor for culture Mariarita Sgarlata (although the measure was disregarded on the occasion of the transfer of the Palazzo BellomoAnnunciation from Syracuse to Palermo for the Palazzo Abatellis monograph, which is on view until February 10: review here), while on the other hand negotiations had already been under way to bring the work to Milan, and Cultural Councilor Sebastiano Tusa had shown himself in favor of the loan.

Without the junta’s authorization, however, the work cannot leave Sicily, and without the masterpiece the exhibition risks being skipped. Repubblica reports that no comments are coming from the City of Milan, while MondoMostre Skira is very concerned because, in the absence of theAnnunciata, “international lenders could refuse their works,” which would result in such a “disaster” that it would have to lead to the non-organization of the exhibition.

Sicily governor blocks loan of Antonello's Annunciata to Milan exhibition

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