700 works for Dante’s 700 years, ARTOUR-O il MUST returns to Florence

From September 24 to 26, 2021, ARTOUR-O il MUST returns to Florence, the MUST project created by the Ellequadro Documenti association, with a tribute to Dante on the occasion of the the 700^th anniversary. In this edition, 10 artists were involved in the creation of 70 works each, all inspired by the Supreme Poet: 700 works of art for 700 years and 70 preparatory studies. From September 24 to 26, one hundred of these creations will be presented in 10 places in the city, including museums, institutional spaces and other corporate spaces, in a three-day celebration that’s open to all.

There are five sections in which the event takes place

The three-day ARTOUR-O Variations on Dante’s Theme will be inaugurated on Friday September 24 at the Accademia delle Arti del Disegno (12.00), in the presence of the institutions and organizers. In the afternoon, at the Academy (3.30 pm), the Focus talk “Art, Economy and Italian Language” will be held, with the participation of eminent speakers such as Giovanni Cipriani, Carla Magnan, Gianfranco Martino, Eupremio Montenegro, Irene Sanesi, Agnese Scappini and Paolo Maria Mariano, who will address the interesting theme of the difference between the “art of today” and “contemporary art”.

On Saturday and Sunday, September 25 and 26 (Saturday from 10.30, Sunday from 11.00), with Elena Tempestinie and Rachel Valle as special guides, the ARTOUR-O Route in the city will be held. The tour brings you to discover the 100 works exhibited in Florence, some of which are set up in lesser known places in Florence.

The ten spaces of the exhibition

The works will be visible in groups of 10, in compositions called Tetraktys or ‘sacred decade’, a concept that dates back to Pythagoras who exalted the number 10 which so important for Dante. The ten Tetraktys will be open to everyone with different times and means of access, and, in some cases, will be exhibited until the inauguration of the Museum of the Italian Language, which will conclude the project in 2022.

Accademia delle Arti del Disegno, the Santissima Annunziata Basilica, Maestri di Fabbrica, the Opera di Santa Croce complex, ASP Firenze Montedomini, Villa Vittoria, Fani Gioielli, Penko and FishingLab Alle Murate and Tipografia Artistica Fiorentina (by appointment only) are the ten places that will host the works by Fiorenza Brembati, Paolo Episcopo, Giacomo Filippini, Alba Folcio, Giuliana Geronazzo, Mariasole Lizzari, Andrè Parodi Monti, Franco Repetto, Danilo Susi and Silvano Zanchi. The programme also includes festive moments. Booking is mandatory for all of the three-day events and the green pass is also mandatory (ellequadro@me.com).

The new format also proposes a game to stimulate creativity: each work created makes up the Tetraktys, in which you place a 2 euro coin that completes the work, and then returns the coin once the creation is completed. It can’t be just any coin: the coins that make the finished work contain the figure of Dante. Everyone is invited to participate in the game after finding the two-euro coins with the poet’s profile (in free circulation). If they find them, they will be able to take a photo of the completed work, becoming in this way, co-creators. The photos will be published on Instagram with the hashtag #2eurodiDante and the tag @artouro_il_must. The ten most beautiful will go to compose a Tetraktys which will be exhibited in due course, and the photographers of the three images that receive the most likes will be rewarded with a dinner in one of the ARTOUR-O restaurants.

The project is carried out under the patronage of the MIC Ministry of Culture, the Regione Toscana, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Comune di Firenze, Accademia delle Arti del Disegno di Firenze and 700Dante.