The San Sebastiano of the Italian painter Antonio De Saliba joins the permanent collection of the Accascina Museum of Messina. The work will be shown to the public, with free admission, on 2 October at 5 pm. The acquisition, for 100 thousand euros, was possible thanks to the right of pre -emption exercised by the Department of Cultural Heritage against the Salamon Gallery for the Bencivenni property.
“We are proud and proud of this acquisition – said the commissioner for cultural heritage and the Sicilian identity, Francesco Paolo Scarpinato – The work cannot fail to arouse great interest, but above all to increase the museum collection, making the regional gallery of Messina increasingly attractive”.
The small table of 44×36 cm will be included in the exhibition area dedicated to Antonello da Messina and its shop. The iconography of the painting is connected to a masterpiece by Antonello da Messina in Venice; The work has been received in its original dimension without suffering any downsizing intervention and was, in all likelihood, intended for a private client. “I followed the bureaucratic procedure for the acquisition of the small table with trepidation, hoping that nothing could compromise the happy conclusion – commented the director of the Accascina Museum, Marisa Mercurio – thanks to the synergistic work with art historians, the technicians in service in this office and the institutions involved, the painting, which represents an important piece of the pictorial culture linked to the school of Antonello, will finally be able to part of the collection. Messina Museum ».
The Councilor Scarpinato, the director of the Accascina Museum, Mercury, the Superintendent of Cultural Heritage of Messina, Orazio Micali, the emeritus professor of the University of Geneva, Mauro Natale, a scholar of Renaissance, Provencal and Flemish painting, will be attended.