‘We are under attack. Cuts to art also hurt Madre’: this is the slogan of a recent campaign by world-renowned contemporary art museum, the Donna Regina Museum in Naples, called the Madre.
Opened in 2004, in a relatively short time Madre has earned a distinguished following and international recognition. The museum’s collection features works by the likes of Anish Kapoor, Rebecca Horn, Gilbert and George, and Damien Hirst.
Deep cuts in the local budget threaten to close the museum complex, and museum officials are asking art lovers across Italy and around the world to sign an online petition, at www.museomadre.it, to save Madre.
An array of artists, writers, musicians, intellectuals, entrepreneurs and celebrities have already signed in support of the ailing museum, among them Jeff Koons, Richard Serra, Damien Hirst, Roberto Benigni, Bernardo Bertolucci, Mario Martone, Robert Wilson, Scarlett Johansson, Valeria Golino, Toni Servillo, Salman Rushdie, Alessandro Baricco, Andrea Camilleri, Lou Reed, Brian Eno, Lucio Dalla, Luca Cordero di Montezemolo and Mark Getty.
‘We are seriously worried about the future of Madre,’ says the petition posted on the museum’s website, ‘for months we have been more worried about not being able to pay expenses, invoices, salaries as well as the cuts to regional funds and our exhibitions and cultural activities.’
