Elena Testaferrata (Director of the Civic Museums of Pistoia) and Stefano Pezzato (Head of Collections and Archives at the Centro Pecci in Prato) introduce the talk dedicated to Genius Loci. Public Art in Pistoia, featuring works by Roberto Barni, Umberto Buscioni, Gianni Ruffi, among others.
Lecture by Marco Bazzini
A historical and critical account of the extraordinary presence of artists from Pistoia—particularly painters and sculptors who emerged in the 1960s as the so-called Pistoia School and are today recognised nationally and internationally: Roberto Barni, Umberto Buscioni, and Gianni Ruffi.
Since the 1990s, their works—alongside being part of the civic collections and, in parallel, of the Fondazione Pistoia Musei—have taken on the dimension of “public art” within the historic city centre: in Piazzetta dell’Ortaggio (Barni), Piazza Giovanni XXIII (Ruffi), and the Church of San Paolo (Buscioni). This widespread heritage of “public art” contributed to Pistoia being named Italian Capital of Culture in 2017.
The event is part of the programme of activities of the museums of the Rete del Contemporaneo in Toscana. Free admission, subject to availability.
Marco Bazzini is a lecturer, journalist, art critic, and art historian. Alongside his extensive teaching activity, he has developed significant journalistic collaborations and curated exhibitions and catalogues in prestigious public and private institutions.
From 1996 to 2006, he collaborated with the Civic Museum and Palazzo Fabroni for the Visual Arts in Pistoia, where he curated several exhibitions and cultural initiatives. In 1998, he oversaw the reinstallation of the Casa Studio Fernando Melani; in 2001, he curated the exhibition promoted by the Marino Marini Documentation Centre on the occasion of the centenary of the artist’s birth.
From 2007 to 2013, he served as Artistic Director of the Centro per l’Arte Contemporanea Luigi Pecci in Prato; from 2013 to 2019, he was President of the Higher Institute for Artistic Industries (ISIA) in Florence.
He currently teaches History of Art at the Academy of Fine Arts in Urbino and History and Criticism of Contemporary Design at ISIA Design Firenze. He is Scientific Director of the Emilio Isgrò Archive and Secretary General of the Fondazione Dynamo Arte.
