Valerio Bartoloni (Director of the Civic Museums of San Gimignano), Mario Cristiani (President of the Arte Continua Association, Florence), and Stefano Pezzato (Head of Collections and Archives at the Centro Pecci, Prato) present the guided tour: Contemporary Art in San Gimignano, featuring works by Joseph Kosuth, Jannis Kounellis, Giulio Paolini, Anish Kapoor, Nunzio, Eliseo Mattiacci, Luciano Fabro, Letizia Cariello, Kiki Smith, and Luisa Rabbia.
Guided tour by Carolina Taddei, Coordinator of the Fondazione Musei Senesi
Starting from the Santa Chiara Museum Complex, where several original projects are on display, the itinerary unfolds as a walk among the most significant artistic presences in the historic centre of San Gimignano, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The route traces a dialogue between past and present shaped by site-specific projects such as Affinità. Five Artists for San Gimignano (1994) and experimental initiatives like Arte all’Arte. Art Architecture Landscape (1996–2005), leading up to more recent commissions entrusted to women artists.
The visit takes place within the programme of activities of the museums of the Rete del Contemporaneo in Toscana, of which the Santa Chiara Complex in San Gimignano is a partner. Admission is free.
Contemporary Art in San Gimignano
The Affinità project, promoted by the Municipal Administration and curated by Giuliano Briganti and Luisa Laureati between 1991 and 1994, introduced works by five contemporary artists into the urban fabric of San Gimignano. Art took the form of contemporary “infiltrations” (R. Fuchs) within public spaces, avoiding monumental gestures and aiming instead to revitalise peripheral or declining areas of the town, renewing the cultural and aesthetic value of specific sites. The works are located in front of the Church of San Jacopo (San Gimignano by Kounellis), on the Church of Sant’Agostino (Meridiana by Paolini), on the vault of Vicolo dei Bongi (Untitled by Nunzio), inside the Palazzo del Podestà (Italy at Auction by Fabro), and on a spur of the Rocca (Compressed Equilibrium by Mattiacci).
The Arte all’Arte project was launched in 1990 and promoted by the Associazione Arte Continua of San Gimignano, with the intention of bringing the breath of history into dialogue with the languages of contemporary art. Among the permanent installations in San Gimignano are One and Three Chairs (La sedia davanti alla porta) by Joseph Kosuth, Underground by Anish Kapoor, and Yellow Girl by Kiki Smith.
Carolina Taddei is an art historian specializing in the organization and management of cultural events. She has worked with various public and private institutions in the cultural sector and has focused on audience development, with particular attention to young audiences.
From 2014 to 2024, she served as Councillor for Culture and Tourism for the Municipality of San Gimignano. As representative of the Historic Centre of San Gimignano UNESCO World Heritage Site, she took part in numerous national and international UNESCO workshops, courses, and projects.
An expert in the management of cultural events, with a strong sensitivity toward contemporary art and the aim of engaging increasingly wider audiences, since June 2024 she has held the position of Coordinator of the Fondazione Musei Senesi.
