Mayor Beppe Sala inaugurated “Lullaby,” one of two works made of layered sacks filled with rubble from the explosion in front of the PAC Padiglione d’Arte Contemporanea museum in Milan. In 1993, a Mafia-related terrorist event killed five people. The work, which will be on display in the cremation room of the Cimitero Monumentale until 6 November, has been donated by the artist to the City of Milan and will enter the collections of the Museo del Novecento later this year.
Maurizio Cattelan “is a super Milanese,” said the mayor. The work is in a venue that preserves Milan’s history, continued Mr. Sala. “Everywhere you turn, you see a piece of history. It is not merely a burial site,” said Mr. Sala.
The artist decided to exhibit the artwork inside the Crematorium Temple, a crematory built in 1866. The mayor acknowledged that the building has had better days and pledged to give it more attention before thanking and congratulating the cemetery staff. “We hope that many Milanese citizens will visit the exhibition and enjoy the week dedicated to art.”
The event comes a decade after the donation by the artist of “L.O.V.E.,” Cattelan’s now-iconic marble monument that portrays a hand with severed fingers, except for the middle one, installed in front of the Milan Stock Exchange.
