Giotto Exhibition | Fontana at the MAN in Nuoro: original concept or revival of Gian Vincenzo Monni’s ideas from 2003?

Hi everyone,

a few years ago I enthusiastically visited the exhibition Giotto | Fountain. The golden space at MAN in Nuoro, curated by Chiara Gatti in 2023-2024. The central concept concerns the treatment of ‘space’ and gold as a symbolic element, creating a dialogue between medieval and contemporary art. Source

I liked the idea of ​​the union between Fontana and Giotto so much that I started reading a lot about it until I found something that disappointed me very deeply…

I noticed some similarities with the Manifesto of Aesthetic Rationalism by Gian Vincenzo Monni, published in 2003 on Exibart

. Monni, who worked at MAN as head of the Department of Contemporary Experimental Art (DACS) and curated numerous special projects, developed a theoretical language focused on ‘space’ as a cognitive concept until he was forced to leave the museum in 2023 shortly before the realization of the exhibition in question. Source

In your opinion, can the concept developed by the exhibition at MAN be considered original or does it seem like a revival of Monni’s ideas? Has anyone had the opportunity to compare the two texts and can share their opinion?