Italian museum burns artworks in protest at cuts

A museum in Italy has started burning its artworks in protest at budget cuts which it says have left cultural institutions out of pocket. Antonio Manfredi, of the Casoria Contemporary Art Museum in Naples, set fire to the first painting on Tuesday. "Our 1,000 artworks are headed for destruction anyway because of the government's indifference," he said.



The work was by French artist Severine Bourguignon, who was in favour of the protest and watched it online. Mr Manfredi plans to burn three paintings a week from now on, in a protest he has dubbed "Art War". Artists from across Europe have lent their support, including Welsh sculptor John Brown, who torched one of his works, Manifesto, on Monday.

Mr Brown said that his organisation, the Documented Art Space in Harlech, North Wales, had exhibited at the Casoria museum in the past. He said the loss of his artwork had not been particularly upsetting. "We work in a fairly contemoporary manner so the process of making art, and the interaction with people, is more important than keeping it as a precious object.


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"He called the burning "a symbolic act" to "protest against the way the economic crisis is being dealt with. These cuts reach beyond the confines of the visual arts and affect the cohesive well-being of millions of people all over the world." Italy's debt crisis led to the resignation of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi last year. Since his departure, the government has passed a tough package of austerity measures and other reforms. Art institutions says they have been particularly affected by the country's economic woes, with state subsidies and charitable donations drying up.