Five new works of art at the Palazzo di Giustizia, the final stage in a competition that was announced back in August 2015, were unveiled on May 21.
The initiative was an immediate success with 228 entries, not all from Italy, and was a response to Law 717 from 1949, which requires all public bodies that undertake the construction of new buildings to set aside a percentage of the projected costs in order to furnish those buildings with artworks. Florence is one of the few municipalities to act upon this law, as noted by Mayor Dario Nardella.
Ph. Enrico Ramerini / CGE Fotogiornalismo
“We want to send a positive message to artists,” he added. “Through these works we want to launch an alliance between culture and justice, art and human rights. The Palazzo di Giustizia is and ought to be a symbol of justice, humanity and civilisation.” Nardella went on to say that there would be similar projects for other public buildings in future.
Ph. Enrico Ramerini / CGE Fotogiornalismo
With this in mind, entries were asked to “emphasise the importance in society of the values of justice, respect, equality, impartiality and the rights and duties of every single human being.” The winners, announced at the beginning of the year, are Shigeru Saito’s Prima del Tramonto, Antonio Violetta’s Giustizia, J by Sislej Xhafa, Virginia Zanetti’s Il cielo stellato sopra di me, la legge morale in meand Metaboleby Mauro Pace, Saverio Villirillo and Gregorio De Luca Comandini. Saito, Violetta and Xhafa, who entered the over-35 category, win 136,000 euro each, while the others, being under 35, receive 70,000 apiece.
