In commemoration of the 2025 Giorno della Memoria—the International Holocaust Remembrance Day—observed every year on January 27, Magazzino Italian Art presented a talk organized in collaboration with the Centro Primo Levi in New York and the Italian Consulate General, alongside other Italian institutions in the New York area.
Dr. Pieranna Cavalchini, Tom and Lisa Blumenthal Curator of Contemporary Art, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, explored the work of Italian artist Fabio Mauri (1926–2009). In particular, Cavalchini focused on Mauri's groundbreaking performance pieces from the 1970s, among which What is Fascism and Ebrea. These were among the first Italian contemporary artworks to confront the persecution of the Jews and the legacy of Nazi-Fascism, prompting the public to consider its own role as spectator and witness. The talk addressed Mauri’s enduring relevance in reflecting on collective memory, ideology, and the role of Italy in the Holocaust.
About the speaker
Since 2001, Pieranna Cavalchini has been the Tom and Lisa Blumenthal Curator of Contemporary Art at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, where she has organized over 34 exhibitions and overseen the Artists-in-Residence program, featuring over 75 artists worldwide. Notable participants include Stefano Arienti, Maurizio Cannavacciuolo, and Adam Pendleton. For the museum’s centennial in 2003, she curated a special project with Joseph Kosuth. Currently, she is curating an exhibition of Haitian photographer and sculptor Fabiola Jean-Louis, opening in February 2025.
Before joining the Gardner Museum, Cavalchini served as Special Advisor to Incontri Internazionali d’Arte in Rome and coordinated Concerti di Mezzogiorno at the Festival of Two Worlds in Spoleto. She worked on notable projects like The Knot Arte Povera at P.S.1 and Playgrounds & Toys, a traveling exhibition celebrating the 50th
anniversary of the United Nations Refugee Agency. Her curatorial highlights include Lo sguardo e l’ascolto in Spoleto and Artisti Collezionisti in Siena.
About Centro Primo Levi
Centro Primo Levi is a New York-based organization inspired by the humanistic legacy of writer and chemist Primo Levi, who survived Auschwitz and contributed significantly to the post-World War II debate on the role of memory in modern societies. CPL cultivates education and debate on Primo Levi’s work and Italian Jewish history. Topics discussed in the Center's public programs and academic seminars are disseminated through an online monthly publication, Printed Matter, and a publishing endeavor, CPL Editions. The Center works closely with many Italian organizations, particularly with the Center for Contemporary Jewish Documentation in Milan and the Primo Levi International Research Center in Turin. Located at the Center for Jewish History in Manhattan, CPL operates under the auspices of the Consulate General of Italy and partners with universities in Italy, Israel and the U.S.