UniCredit Group collaborates with DARC on the opening of the new Italian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale International Art Exhibition

UniCredit Group is delighted to announce the latest collaboration with DARC (the Contemporary Art and Architecture Directorate of the Italian Ministry of Culture) in supporting the newly created Italian Pavilion at the 52nd Venice Biennale, dedicated to Italian contemporary artists. The Pavilion is curated by Ida Gianelli, Director of the Contemporary Art Museum Il Castello di Rivoli.
Located in a 19th century coal warehouse at the Tese delle Vergini in the Arsenale, the opening of the Pavillion is one of the most anticipated events of the 52nd Venice Biennale.
Works on show include UniCredit Group supported Democrazy by Francesco Vezzoli, - a video installation that recreates the media battle for the American presidential elections in 2008 questioning the influence and power of media over the concept of democracy - and Giuseppe Penone's Lymph Sculpture , an installation in wood, marble and drawings. The two site-specific works explore the richness and depth of contemporary art production in Italy today.
At the close of Biennale, DARC will receive Democrazy on a long-term loan from UniCredit Group for MAXXI, the National Museum of XXI Century Art and Architecture in Rome, designed by Zaha Hadid and currently under construction.
Pio Baldi, General Director of DARC, said: "We are grateful for UniCredit Group's support and for receiving Democrazy on a long term loan for MAXXI. UniCredit Group's initiative to sustain the arts world in this unique and innovative way is important for the development of contemporary art in our country, we look forward to working creatively together over the next years."
Since 2004, the Group has enriched its art collection with the works of contemporary Italian artists active since 1980, with a view to promoting them in the international art scene. Through arts and community projects started in cooperation with DARC, UniCredit Group is actively developing a heterogeneous web of projects, supporting the whole art system.
Alessandro Profumo, CEO of UniCredit Group, added:"Art and culture are key pillars of UniCredit Group Corporate Social Responsibility strategy in the communities where it operates. We are excited about the opportunities this joint initiative with DARC brings to the development of young talents and the contemporary art scene. We are strongly committed to projects dedicated to the art of our times that reflects some of the traditions and core values of our Group, such as innovation and risk taking in embracing new challenges in the global competitive business landscape".
For further information please contact:
Press Office
UniCredit Group
Carlotta Magnanini
carlotta.magnanini@unicreditgroup.eu
+39 02.88622920
UniCredit & l'Art Project Director
Catterina Seia
catterina.seia@unicreditgroup.eu

Brunswick (International PR advisers)
Alessandra Bognetti/Alexa von Wietzlow
Tel: +44 20 7404 5959
abognetti@brunswickgroup.com
avonwietzlow@brunswickgroup.com
Notes to editors
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