Pneuma Art Foundation presented their inaugural exhibition, In the Light of Florence, this September 27-29 at via dei Serragli 51. The gathering of 31 talented Florence-based figurative artists attracted over 4,000 visitors in three days, a strong start for the recently launched non-profit foundation dedicated to supporting emerging artists.
Olivia Colbert, Brett Colbert and Fr. Angelo Campana came together to support artists who work with the techniques and inspirations of the Classical, Renaissance and Baroque Masters. Olivia and Brett elaborate: “We have always had a special place for the arts in our lives, even though we are in medicine and science for our professional careers. On our first date, we discussed Bernini’s sculpture of St. Teresa in Ecstasy. Fast-forward a few years and we were deciding where to get married. We landed on Santa Maria della Vittoria in Rome, where this sculpture is, and we met Padre Angelo Campana, who shared his love of Bernini and Classical art with us. He introduced us to Amir Yaghoobi, a painter from Iran, and we began supporting Amir and his work as our first project.”
“On a day trip to Florence in October 2023, we had coffee with Fr. Kramer Cameron, a friend of mine for many years. He invited Luna Gordon, a curator and art restorer, and Jannik, a painter. Jannik invited us back to his studio for the drawing competition he hosts and, after the session, we shared a pizza with the artists and learned about the highs and lows of being an early-career artist in Florence. It became clear to us that, in order to create more art today with the techniques and inspirations of the masters, we needed to support these early-career artists during the transition from student to professional, and so we brought about the Pneuma Art Foundation, which means ‘breath of life’. We will do this by sponsoring exhibitions, creating subsidized studio spaces in Florence, providing mentors for the professional skills it requires to be a working artist, creating connections with galleries, and more.”
Project manager Andres Escalante remarks: “A really important fact is that there’s a need for it. There are so many graduates, and it’s a bit like, what now? There’s not really a second step lined out for them. The foundation emerges from this void.” Curator Luna Gordon agrees: “From my own standpoint, I’m American originally and I studied in Germany. Coming to Florence has been a huge gift because I’ve never, in all my travels, been to a city where there are so many artists and so much talent concentrated in one place. I think the big thing that needs to happen now is that the community needs to bind together and start generating more exhibitions and events where we can come together over our craft. It was really important for us to have an exhibition that integrates the international community, but celebrates the city’s local talent as well. We made a conscious effort to reach out to the local community and involve them, becoming a bridge between both. We organized a kids’ drawing event, and kicked the exhibition off with a community event where we invited everyone from the neighborhood, the team who helped us build up the show, the framer, the artists from every corner of the city, and our friend Miguel Martinez at Giardino dell’Ardiglione. We were lucky to receive the generous support of local businesses Compagnia Colonna, Villa il Pozzo and La Spa for our vernissage as well as many private sponsors for the event itself”.
The role of social media was also a factor in the success of the event, with many of the artists having large Instagram followings. “We created a collaborative post with each artist and that made sure that everyone’s audience saw the show and people came. There were even two pilgrims who were on their way to Rome who saw Jannik’s post, and they walked 50 plus kilometres out of their way to come to the exhibition. We were very honoured by the response, and very touched that our show meant so much to so many people.”
In terms of the foundation’s future, the search is for a permanent home. Olivia and Brett tell us, “We are working to establish an affordable studio and community space where artists can work in an environment that fosters creativity, collaboration and learning. We are seeking partners who would provide a space we can use for the studios and an office for the foundation in Florence. We are also building a patrons’ program to support both the foundation and the artists we serve. Through this, we hope to continue fostering the next generation of artists, helping them create works that will inspire future generations, just as the Renaissance masters have inspired us.”
