September 24th, 2015 – The Villa Romana Prize (established in Florence in 1905) is the oldest German award dedicated to art: it offers prominent artists, resident in Germany and mostly young, the opportunity to pursue their artistic research over the course of a long stay in Florence. Just this week – during the Berlin Art Week (a week to celebrate contemporary art which was held September 15-20) – the Italian Embassy in Berlin is hosting the exhibition “Florenz Contemporary “, which showcases the works of the artists that won the Villa Romana Prize in 2014/2015. The mutual flow of energy between Berlin and Florence brings together two cities that, for various historical reasons, are two sought-out places: Florence is a city in which “all art has been contemporary” (Maurizio Nannucci, Florence artist), Berlin is a must for all contemporary artists. Guided tours of the exhibition – as stated on the website of the Italian Institute of Culture in Berlin – are held in German every Monday and Thursday (at 3pm) until Wednesday 30 September. The event takes place at ‘Italienische Botschaft, Tiergartenstr. 22. The exhibition – organized by the Italian Embassy in Berlin and Villa Romana in Florence – is curated by Angelika Stepken. Stepken is the director of Villa Romana: in May 2007 she reopened the Villa after the end of massive restoration works. Previously, she was director of the Badischer Kunstverein in Karlsruhe, between 1998 and 2006. As a curator, she organized until the end of the 1980s several international exhibitions. (PO / red)
The Italian Embassy hosts the art exhibition “Florenz Contemporary”
