A work by artist aleXsandro Palombo that brings the figure of Silvio Berlusconi (Milan, 1936 - 2023) back into the spotlight has appeared at Milan-MalpensaAirport, recently at the center of public debate over its new naming. The mural, titled Welcome to Silvio Berlusconi Airport, was created two years after the former Prime Minister’s death and comes at a time when the decision to dedicate the airport terminal to him remains a subject of legal dispute.
In the work, Berlusconi is depicted as riding in the fuselage of an Alitalia plane in flight. The image shows him hinting at his typical left-handed salute, a gesture that has made him recognizable in public appearances. The aircraft is depicted in the Italian flag carrier’s distinctive white livery, crossed by a green line that runs across the entire fuselage and ends at the tail. Here the historic stylized “A,” composed of the colors of the national flag, green, white and red, recalls the symbol that has represented Italian aviation around the world for decades.
The work bears the signature of Palombo, a pop artist and activist known for his provocative and thoughtful approach. Although a shy figure and far from the spotlight, Palombo has gained international notoriety for his creations that address issues related to pop culture, inclusion, diversity and human rights. In this case, the choice to depict Berlusconi on an Alitalia aircraft takes on a double meaning: on the one hand, a reference to the period of Italy’s economic boom, when the national aircraft represented the country’s ambition and progress, and on the other, a symbolic representation of the Cavaliere’s public and private trajectory. In the visual narrative constructed by Palombo, the former premier appears as a figure capable of dominating a “giant,” be it business, politics or the very vehicle that represents the country, in a continuous upward movement. A metaphor that recalls the will to “fly high,” overcoming obstacles and facing challenges with determination.
The naming of the Malpensa airport after Silvio Berlusconi, formalized on July 11, 2024 by ENAC (the Italian Civil Aviation Authority), was immediately at the center of controversy. In particular, the City of Milan and other Lombardy local authorities have filed an appeal with the Regional Administrative Court to challenge the decision. Just as the mural appeared, the TAR suspended the effectiveness of the dedication, postponing any final decision until January 2026. Palombo’s work thus comes in an already heated context, helping to reignite the confrontation around the figure of the former Prime Minister, whose legacy continues to divide public opinion. According to the artist, the mural is also meant to be a call for resilience: Berlusconi has gone through countless court cases and political controversies without ever completely withdrawing from the scene. For Palombo, depicting him in flight means to represent his ability to never completely give up, to remain present anyway, even after death.
An image that aims to reflect on the phenomenon of the public survival of charismatic figures, often more powerful in collective memory than in reality.
The link between Palombo and the figure of Berlusconi is not new. Over the past two years, the artist has created a series of murals in Milan, in Via Volturno, a place linked to the Cavaliere’s childhood. Five in total, these works were all vandalized or removed in a very short time.
A fate that made his previous urban installations ephemeral, marking a contrast with his new choice: instead of returning to the places of the former premier’s youth, Palombo opted for an institutional and high-visibility site, such as Malpensa International Airport. With this new work, Palombo thus seeks to redefine the space of memory, shifting the center of the narrative from Milan to the province of Varese, where the airport is located. The proposed image is not without ambiguity: the tone remains that of a symbolic portrait, but the placement and visual choice can be interpreted in different ways, depending on the viewer’s point of view.
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| A mural by aleXsandro Palombo depicts Berlusconi at Malpensa airport. |
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