The Igor Mitoraj: Angels exhibition will be held in Piazza del Duomo in Pisa from 17 May 2014 to 12 April 2015.
Organised by the Opera della Primaziale di Pisa, the exhibition is inaugurating a new space for temporary exhibitions, which will further enrich the cultural offering of the Piazza dei Miracoli cathedral complex. The event is part of a programme to celebrate the 950th anniversary of the laying of the foundation stone of Pisa Cathedral and, for the first time, it is bringing a contemporary artist into the square of the Leaning Tower.
The idea is to turn the new premises in the Piazza del Duomo into a place where past and present can come together and interact around the great themes of sacred art. The decision to inaugurate this space with an artist of international renown such as Igor Mitoraj is a reflection of this intention.

The works that the sculptor has created especially for places of worship include the monumental doors for the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli e dei Martiri in Rome, the bronze door for the Jesuit Church in Warsaw, and The Annunciation, a group of marble sculptures for the Vatican Museums.
Conceived and curated by the architect Alberto Bartalini, the exhibition has an Advisory Committee consisting of Antonio Paolucci, Director of the Vatican Museums, Francesco Buranelli, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for the Cultural Heritage of the Church and the art critic Luca Beatrice.
Mitoraj takes inspiration for his work from contemporary man, portraying his weaknesses and suffering. In these times of great political, religious and cultural upheavals, Mitoraj has decided to be on the side of those “heroic losers” who never cease in their flight towards freedom. The sculptor adopts instantly recognisable artistic forms that make no reference to classical or mythological models.

The choice of works for this exhibition is very personal and the presence of the “Angels” has a symbolic significance, which is that of finding a minimum of serenity and peace.
The exhibition includes about a hundred works, with sculptures, bronzes, cast-iron works and drawings. There will also be fifty plaster works, which are being shown together for the first time, forming a sort of ideal gallery of such works by the artist. For the first time, the Pisa exhibition is also showing a less well-known aspect of Mitoraj’s work, which is that of painting. These paintings, which he has created in recent years, share the monumentality of the sculptures, with the gold backgrounds taking from those of Tuscany, while his works on paper form a dialogue with the sinopias of the Monumental Cemetery of Pisa.
Mitoraj’s works form a bridge between past and future, interacting with their setting in Pisa in a very special way.

Igor Mitoraj. Angels
17 May 2014 / 12 April 2015
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa

Opening hours

7 january-february from 10 to 17
march from 9 to 18
april-september from 8 to 20
october from 9 to 19
november-24 december from 10 to 17
25 december -6 january from 9 to 18

Admission
Full: €3.00
Reduced price for schools: €2.00 (accompanying adults free)
Free: Children under 10 years (if accompanied) and disabled persons with their carers.