In Milan, the art of the mafia is on display at the museum

In Milan, the art of the mafia is on display at the museum
In Milan, the art of the mafia is on display at the museum

A few steps from the Duomo, in the center of Milan (Italy), more than 80 works of art confiscated from the mafia adorn the walls of the prestigious Palazzo reale. The free and traveling exhibition Save you sets down his bags in the Lombard capital, after Rome and a final stop in Calabria.

They tasted good whispers a visitor to his companion while contemplating a collage by the Breton visual artist Jacques Villeglé. Throughout the ten rooms of the exhibition, we discover the richness of the heritage seized from criminals: the draft of a work by the American Keith Haring, a magnificent oil on canvas from the series Piazza d'Italia by the Italian Giorgio De Chirico, and another lithograph in Indian ink by Romeo and Juliet by Salvador Dali.

“Recycle dirty money”

Until then no one could see these works, it was as if they had disappeared. This exhibition allows them to be reborn comments Federico Magni, art history student in Milan. The young man, however, remains on his last legs. There's no dispute about it, we don't even know how they ended up in the hands of criminals he regrets. Further on, a group of men speculate on the identity of the mafia collectors.

For Gabriella Pandullo, it is a way of doing justice. When we think of all the negative actions behind these works! At least they return to the community rejoices the sixty-year-old who came with her friends.

This exhibition also shows that the mafia don't always get away with it! observes Antonnella Scartuchio, a school secretary, as archive videos of police operations echo on loop from the next room. Italy is a model in the fight against organized crime.

Among the paintings, more than twenty were seized in 2016 from a mafioso of the powerful Calabrian 'Ndrangheta. They were probably bought to recycle dirty money according to Domenico Piraina, director of Culture of the city of Milan.

In the art market, mafiosi are more likely to acquire works to launder money than to sponsor trafficking. Even if in certain investigations the role of the mafias has been highlighted explains Enrico Fontana of the Legambiente association, which every year produces a report on criminal activities against the environment and cultural heritage. However, it is impossible to estimate how many works are in the clutches of mafiosi.

Once confiscated, these assets are managed by a dedicated agency. After evaluation, works of cultural interest are assigned to public collections, designated by the Ministry of Culture. The others are for sale. The 80 sculptures and paintings from the Milan exhibition, after a final stop in Calabria, will be distributed among various museums in the country. Some will join the emblematic Pinacoteca di Brera, in Milan.

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