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A new contemporary art hub nestled among the ruins of a medieval monastery is due to open in northern Italy next September. The Fondazione Vezza project, founded by the Piedmontese entrepreneur Sandra Vezza and her son Charley, will be based in Monforte d’Alba in the Langhe wine region, around 60 kilometres southeast of Turin.
The pair plan to develop a trail over the next decade through the woodland on Colle San Pietro hill; two site-specific large-scale works by the US artist Kathleen Ryan and the Italian sculptor Alessandro Pessoli will inaugurate the project next autumn. The trail will include the ruins of the monastery of San Pietro, an early medieval complex first documented in 1014.
Flavio del Monte, formerly director of institutional relations at Massimo de Carlo gallery in Milan, will oversee the Fondazione Vezza project. “Each year, one or more artists will be invited to engage with the site, its woodland, its paths, existing architecture and history. Over approximately ten years, the works will shape a route that will continue to grow and change without losing the site’s original character,” says a project statement.
Sandra and Charley Vezza will fund the production of the works; budget costs remain confidential. Asked if the foundation will own the pieces produced, a spokesperson said: “Yes, they will be installed permanently onsite. The target audience is really everyone, the widest possible audience.” The site will be open to the public and free to enter.
“With its opening in 2027, the Foundation will begin a long-term exploration of the relationship between contemporary art, the landscape, and the Vezza family’s vision, shaped by the artists invited to contribute to the site over time,” adds the statement. Project supporters include the Comune di Monforte, the Comune di Milano and Gagosian Gallery.
Sandra and Charley Vezza founded the Italian Radical Design Group in 2022, a Barolo-based company established with “the specific aim of preserving and promoting historic Italian design brands”, says the company website. The same year the group acquired Memphis Milano, the 1980s post-modern design collective. In 2012, the Vezzas bought Gufram, an Italian radical design brand founded in the 1960s, known for its pop art-inspired furniture.