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DELLE DISSONANZE – Collezione Antonio Stellatelli
di Nico Sandri

Vienna, 14 Gennaio 1785. Tre Violini, un Violoncello. Un Compositore: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
Il quartetto K 465 n.19 in Do Maggiore prese vita quel giorno invernale portando in grembo una spinta d’avanguardia senza eguali per l’epoca, cambiando così il corso di come la musica potesse essere percepita, capita e composta. Il punto cardine della composizione è rappresentato dalle diverse tonalità nelle quali viene suonata, ma che si uniscono creando un armonia mai sperimentata prima, creando un tutto che sublima la somma delle sue parti, creando un incredibile unione tra elementi dissonanti tra loro. La dissonanza di queste entità renderà celebre il brano che prenderà l’appellativo “Delle Dissonanze”.
Una collezione d’Arte, specialmente se parliamo di Arte Contemporanea, deve riuscire a creare questa armonia tra i vari strumenti, artisti, che la compongono, così come di conseguenza l’esposizione che è chiamata a racchiudere con una selezione di note, opere d’arte, l’essenza e la coesione universale che rende l’arte di valore globale. E proprio il carattere universale che l’arte che vive al suo interno ha spinto, e quasi chiamato naturalmente a sè, l’inserimento in mostra di un momento di dissonanze globali rappresentato da artisti italiani, indiani e cinesi, che dialogano in perfetta armonia nonostante le importanti diversità di tonalità che fisiologicamente e culturalmente portano in dote.
L’esposizione diventa quindi un percorso nel presente più vero e profondo, un viaggio che mostra la spinta vitale dell’Arte Contemporanea Italiana, un’arte che parla della natura umana, della condizione umana e della inevitabile pulsione verso il concetto più profondo di Bellezza. L’idea torna protagonista in modo deciso, il concetto la aiuta a razionalizzarsi e la tecnica sublime che questi artisti utilizzano la rende viva, esistente e fortemente presente. L’attenzione al mezzo rende questa collezione straordinaria, un’attenzione dettata dall’amore per l’arte.
Infine esiste ancora una dissonanza meravigliosa che apparentemente rischia di scomparire in quanto talmente imponente che quasi diventa rarefatta: la sede dell’esposizione, ovvero il Palazzo Della Ragione a Verona. Questa macro dissonanza che si crea tra la città di epoca Romana, quale Verona, Il Palazzo Della Ragione costruito nel XII secolo, e le opere d’arte contenute per l’esposizione del XXI secolo. Si crea così una continuità storica e sociale del valore dell’arte e delle arti in generale, nel quale percorso si riesce ad ammirare come dissonanze a più livelli si riuniscano in una splendida armonia con l’augurio che questo si applichi quotidianamente alle nostre vite.

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Comunicato Stampa

La Collezione Antonio Stellatelli in mostra a Palazzo della Ragione a Verona: una delle collezioni di arte contemporanea italiana più prestigiose.
Antonio Stellatelli, come tutti i veri collezionisti e appassionati d’arte, in questi anni ha infatti scoperto e seguito i più grandi artisti italiani contemporanei, oggi richiesti ed apprezzati anche a livello internazionale.
Olivio Barbieri, Matteo Basilè, Giacomo Costa, Giovanni Frangi, Alessandro Papetti, Luca Pignatelli, sono solo alcuni dei nomi, che tra arti pittoriche, plastiche e fotografia sono presenti in una collezione che vanta oltre 500 opere e installazioni: un prezioso patrimonio di arte e cultura del nostro Paese, testimonianza storica di questo attuale momento artistico in Italia.
Una grande collezione, volta a parlare del ritorno ai fondamentali dell’arte, alla tecnica, al concetto di bello.
L’inaugurazione vedrà la presenza non solo degli artisti le cui opere sono contenute nella collezione, ma di galleristi e critici da ogni parte di Italia che hanno seguito la nascita di questa collezione e ovviamente le autorità cittadine.
Un momento unico per la Città di Verona, per tornare ad essere attrice di un nuovo rinascimento dell’arte italiana: prima tappa di un tour espositivo internazionale che toccherà New York e Nuova Delhi.

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Titolo Mostra: Delle Dissonanze – Collezione Antonio Stellatelli
Tipo Mostra: Selezione da collezione privata
Curatore Mostra: Nico Sandri
Progetto e Organizzazione Mostra: Beyond Factory, Verona
Patrocinio Istituzionale : Comune di Verona – Cultura, Provincia di Verona
Periodo: 03 – 16 Dicembre 2012
Orari Mostra: 16.00 – 20.00
Vernissage: Lunedì 03 Dicembre 2012 ore 18:30
Sede Espositiva: Palazzo Della Ragione – Verona
Catalogo: disponibile presso la mostra
Titolo Catalogo: Delle Dissonanze – This Is Not Propaganda. Collezione Antonio Stellatelli.
Casa Editrice: L’Artistica Editrice
Catalogo a cura di: Beatrice Benedetti, Marina Pizziolo, Romano Ravasio e Antonio Stellatelli

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Artisti presenti in catalogo:
Luca Andreoni, Gabriele Arruzzo, Alessandro Bazan, Olivo Barbieri, Matteo Basilè, Carlo Benvenuto, Giuseppe Bergomi, Andrea Bianconi, Botto e Bruno, Fratelli Calgaro, Andrea Chiesi, Marco Cingolani, Marco Cornini, Giacomo Costa, Valentina D’Amaro, Paola De Pietri, Gehard Demetz, Francesco De Grandi, Andrea Di Marco, Fulvio Di Piazza, Federico Ferrarini, Giovanni Frangi, Daniele Galliano, Jonathan Guaitamacchi, Federico Guida, J&Peg, Ryas Komu, Luisa Lambri, Ma Liuming Fen-Ma Liuming, Giovanni Manfredini, Andrea Mastrovito, Gianni Ferrero Merlino, Barbara Nahmad, Davide Nido, Walter Niedermayr, Alessandro Papetti, Marco Petrus, Luca Pignatelli, Pierluigi Pusole, Ugo Riva, Francesca Rivetti, Rong Rong & Inri, Livio Scarpella, Paolo Schmidlin, Mithu Sen, Alessandra Spranzi, Giorgio Tentolini, Velasco, Paolo Ventura.

Collector’s Corner

by Franck Barthelemy

When I read the India Art Fair programme, an event caught my attention: the launch of a book titled The Indian Renaissance. In art history, we are usually more familiar with the Italian Renaissance, this period that closed the Middle Age in Europe. Giotto, Botticelli, Vinci, Michelangelo turned the visual art world upside down with the help of poets and writers like Boccaccio, Castiglione or Machiavelli. It was a new start, a dip into a modern (or rather more modern) world. Quite curious to find out more about the book, I called the author, Antonio Stellatelli, for a coffee. He accepted the invite.

In a dazzling off-white suit, the 83 year old gentleman from Barletta, a small city on the Adriatic coast of Italy, greeted me generously. For a second, I thought I knew him for decades and I was casually catching up with my old friend. His accent was chanting; his smile warm. He was obviously happy to talk about his new baby, his Indian art collection. As an introduction he said, “You know, I love art”.

Antonio’s passion for art is not new. He is starting his 7th collection in India. The first six were focussed on Italian contemporary art. In 1987, he published Ten Artists from Corrente1 to share for the first time his Italian discoveries with the public. And since then he has not stopped. When he feels he has gathered enough for a collection, Antonio shows it and eventually donates it to a museum or an institution. His passion for art goes together with his passion for sharing and giving back to the society. He ‘contributes to history’, as he puts it.

A few years ago, he shifted his interest from Europe to emerging countries when he realized that the European art scene was turning out to be far too focused on money. Antonio does not collect art as an investment though he worked most of his life for financial institutions. He looked at the Asian art scene and thought this continent could become his next hunting territory. Actually, it was more than a ‘look’. Antonio has a very rigorous approach to his collections. He reads a lot about art and history and meets experts and friends to make his final opinion. At the same time, Antonio is proud to highlight that he does not buy any piece of art without meeting the artist. He needs to feel the emotions that were put into the art works. He needs to empathise with the artist. He is ‘looking for the soul’ of the artist. He wants to connect with the artist and his/her practise.

The adventurous open minded collector went to China in 2009 to check the art scene. He got fascinated. And when he came to India in 2011, he got amazed. He visited a few studios in Mumbai and Delhi and decided to collect Indian contemporary art. He still remembers his visits to Sunil Gawde and Bharti Kher’s studios with joy, the way a kid would remember a delicious candy. This attitude is very representative of Antonio’s way of life: he enjoys it to the fullest and he is not shy to demonstrate it. Beside art in various forms, including music and literature, he loves nature, woman, food and speed. When he speed-drives his car on the German highways, the only roads where it is allowed in Europe, he enjoys the thrill tremendously. There is no time to look back. He looks forward. He pays attention to details and at the same time anticipates. ‘I like driving fast and my life is the same’, he said. He believes that what one does with one’s life is less important than how one does it. And by the way, Antonio has not changed his car for many years; he prefers buying a piece of art!

The way Antonio collects, depicts another of his peculiarities: he is free. There is no trend and fashion that attracts him. When he first started his Corrente collection, it was against the main stream fashion. When he now builds up his Indian collection, it is also out of the main stream art trend in Europe. With a lot of humility, Antonio briefly mentioned that he has done the War (WWII) and was part of the Resistance, been in a group of people which decided to fight fascism when their country followed other paths. His love for freedom is genetic and no one would put him within a frame. Antonio pushes the boundaries of his collections and constantly explores new avenues. Internet is one for instance. He finds the concept of virtual reality fascinating. In a world where the media are changing, ‘we need to do something’ he said. I would not be surprised if he started a collection focused on these new media soon.

With such knowledge and experience of the art world, it would be natural for most of the people to think about setting up a museum or a foundation to leave back a legacy. Antonio is not interested. His journey is personal. While collecting, he lives with the art works at home for a while; he shares his enthusiasm with friends and then donates them. Fame does not interest him. Having his name inscribed in gold letters on a plate does not seem to be his objective in life. To convince me, as if I had to be, he told me he refused to become a member of parliament in 1987 when Berlusconi approached him. His mission with art makes his plate full besides being the head of a family of four sons and seven grandchildren.

Antonio could spend hours talking about art without getting bored even for a second. It would no doubt be an amazing experience to be invited at his house and see the art he lives with at a point of time. He does not hesitate to say that his house is open to art lovers to discuss art … but not to arty socialites who would only be interested to find out how much is what. I hope one day I will have the honour. Like many art lovers, I am looking forward to seeing Antonio’s Indian Renaissance collection, somewhere in India or Europe. I am also impatient and excited to discover his next collection focussed on Chinese contemporary art. And I am sure there are many more to come. Hats off Antonio Stellatelli!