Panzano Arte: in the heart of Chianti Classico an itinerary through the works of Nathalie Decoster

Between medieval Siena and Renaissance Florence, in one of the most beautiful and evocative territories of Italy and the world, that of Chianti Classico, a land of great wines and art. This is where“Panzano Arte”, an itinerant exhibition promoted by the poet-maker Dario Cecchini and curated by Mila Sturm, has been created. From yesterday to September 18, it will give life to a real itinerary through farmhouses and vineyards, among the works of the French artist Nathalie Decoster, who, from the village of Panzano, crosses the hills of Chianti to reach four wineries: Fontodi, Tenuta Casenuove, Tenuta Renzo Marinai, and La Massa.
The prologue is in Panzano, with “Le temps qui passe” in the main square, while in front of the butcher shop of Dario Cecchini we find the two “Sentinels”, and continuing towards the church of the village here is “Espace Temps”, then you come across “Saute-mouton” (Cavalluccio) and shortly after in “Marie”, a tribute to all women. From here, the journey begins through the Chianti Classico estates. The first stop is Fontodi, the Maentti family’s label, which houses three sculptures, “Triple protection” (Triple protection) overlooking the vineyards; “Les Arbres de vie” (The trees of life), a magical wood of stylized trees; “Nid d’etres” (The nest of human beings), a real nest made from the branches of the vineyards. Second stop, Tenuta Casenuove, for which “Air N °2” and “Air N °3” were chosen, positioned on the entrance lawn, and always outside we find “Eoles” (Wind), which turn in the breeze, a symbol of human fragility, while inside the cellar “Hommage à Cesar”, a humorous tribute to the famous French artist.
Third stop, Tenuta Renzo Marinai, which houses, among its olive trees, the twisted structure of “Venet Venet, hommage à Bernar”, then “Fragilité 2” and, inside one of the houses of the estate, “Fenêtre sour cour” (Window on the courtyard), small, quote from the well-known film by Alfred Hitchcock. Fourth stop, La Massa, where “Culbuto”, a giant in balance on a half-sphere, dominates the terrace surrounding the cellar, while on the other side we find “Frailty Cube”, and inside the YinYang company, a work inspired by the sculptor’s numerous trips to Asia. Finally, the final stop of Panzano Arte is the Pieve di San Leolino, a 12th-century basilica, which houses the last two works, “Traces du temps” (Traces of time) and “Frailty Cube”.

Focus - Nathalie Decoster

An acclaimed French artist, she has exhibited in museums, public places and private collections all over the world. In Italy, in addition to Panzano, Villa Lario, on Lake Como, she has a monographic exhibition, while the exhibition “Intime Venice”, held at the Venice International Art Biennial 2019, has just ended in Venice, at Palazzo Morosini, the historical headquarters of Generali Italia. Nathalie Decoster has created her language of signs, her iconic sculptures depicting a man stylized in the act of walking, a “messenger” as the artist defines it, often enclosed in a geometric form as a circle, a square or a cube. Works that reflect on the human condition, its fragility, the passage of time, the hidden desire to achieve serenity. Their forms blend both with the ideal of “beauty”, dear to the Italian Renaissance, and with the “beauty” of the Tuscan landscape in which they fit with extreme simplicity, precisely because of the intimate connection of the dimension of the artist with nature.