Fabio Cavallucci appointed new Director
Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art
Viale della Repubblica 277
59100 Prato
Italy
T +0574 5317
Fabio Cavallucci is the new Director of the Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art in Prato. Chosen by the institution’s board of governors from among the 38 competing candidates, Cavallucci will be given the task of guiding the Centre’s next season at a time when the expansion of its spaces under the architect Maurice Nio is about to be completed.
According to the new Director’s plans, the Pecci Centre’s fundamental calling will of course remain contemporary art; however, it will be expressed through numerous other disciplines, such as theatre, music, cinema, architecture, fashion and design. This encounter between the arts is to be considered a fundamental point in the institution’s future strategy, along with art-based programming relating to themes and matters that are deeply connected to the interests of contemporary society. “Art that is once again close to life, that is a part of it, in some way” is, in brief, the message that Cavallucci conveys through his plans.
In the meantime, construction projects to double the spaces are in full swing. The original building was planned in the 1980s by the Florentine architect Italo Gamberini, a leading exponent of the Tuscan rationalist movement; surrounding it is the ambitious, circular expansion project now nearing completion. The expansion was designed by Maurice Nio/NIO architecten of Rotterdam, one of the most interesting figures on the innovative Dutch architectural scene. The new building, a large ring which is expected to be completed by the end of the year, stands out against the landscape like an enormous spaceship. Connected to the previous space, it will enhance the functions and services offered to the public; it will enable the collection to be presented organically; and it will improve the Centre’s visibility, accessibility and flexibility.
The Luigi Pecci Centre for Contemporary Art in Prato, which carries out the role of coordinating and promoting contemporary culture in Tuscany, is the first Italian art institution with premises built from the ground up. Commissioned by Enrico Pecci (named a Knight in Italy’s Order of Merit for Labour), in memory of his son, Luigi, who passed away at an early age, the Centre was founded by the Municipality of Prato, the Pratese Industrial Union, the bank Cassa di Risparmio di Prato, various companies and private citizens. Since opening in June of 1988, the Centre has produced a vast quantity of exhibitions, educational projects, documentation and information on contemporary art in Prato and throughout Tuscany, as well as Milan, Rome, and areas outside Italy; it has proposed and hosted numerous performances and multimedia events, and built up a considerable collection of works (about 1,500 in number, and constantly growing; works by Enzo Cucchi, Julian Schnabel, Mario Merz, Vito Acconci, Gilberto Zorio, Jan Fabre, Marco Bagnoli, Remo Salvadori, Jannis Kounellis, Mimmo Paladino, Sol LeWitt, Anne and Patrick Poirier, David Tremlett, Daniel Spoerri, Emilio Isgrò, Mauro Staccioli, Paolo Scheggi, Michelangelo Pistoletto, and Anish Kapoor, among others).
From 2001 to 2008, Fabio Cavallucci directed the Galleria Civica di Trento (Trent). He also coordinated Manifesta 7: the European Biennial of Contemporary Art in 2008, as well as directing the International Sculpture Bienniale held in Carrara in 2010. He oversaw the Contemporary Art Centre of Ujazdowski Castle in Warsaw since 2010. The many international artists whom he has involved in exhibitions and special projects include Cai Guo-Qiang, Maurizio Cattelan, Antony Gormley, Katarzyna Kozyra, Paul McCarthy, Santiago Sierra, Mario Merz, Aernout Mik, Gillian Wearing, Wilhelm Sasnal and Rirkrit Tiravanija.
