Maurizio Zanella, the president of leading Franciacorta producer Ca’del Bosco, has announced plans to inaugurate a biennial Ca’del Bosco sculpture award. The contest, which is reserved exclusively for Italian artists under 40 years old, embodies the Venetian Heritage motto: “Restoring the past, building the future.”
Zanella likens his modern-day patronage to that of Maecenas, who fostered literary talents such as Virgil and Ovid in early imperial Rome. On the connection between sculpture and winemaking he has much to say. Seeming to take inspiration from Michelangelo, he imagines how “the relationship between a wine and its vineyard is like that between a block of marble and the sculpture that lies trapped within it,” adding that, “instead of being content with bottling works of art, I managed to convince artists to come to Ca’del Bosco and create site-specific works that would interact with nature and our extraordinary land.”
The competition will be open to a maximum of 10 participants, and has environmental sustainability among its primary parameters. Cash prizes await the top three contestants, while the winner will have the privilege of having their work realized and installed in the Ca’del Bosco sculpture park, alongside distinguished artists such as Arnaldo Pomodoro, Stefano Bombardieri, and Mimmo Paladino.
The contest is a culmination of Zanella’s concern for both stewardship and innovation, and will no doubt produce some captivating artwork and help cement the legend of Ca’del Bosco.
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