Exhibition
The Spirit of Francesco: Masterpieces of Contemporary Figuration
Within the Italian 14th-century Gothic Church of San Francesco in Umbria, a major museum exhibition marks the 800-year centenary of Saint Francis, featuring Anna Keen among 28 prominent international figurative artists exploring the radical contemporary relevance of the saint.
Italian Art Critic Alessandro Riva from Artuu Magazine writes:
“Never has Saint Francis been so contemporary. The eight hundred years that have passed since his death have not subdued his personality to the harmless sweetness of a saint who talks to birds. If anything, beneath the layers of devotion and romanticised imagery, they have allowed the almost scandalous radicalism of the man to resurface. A man who renounced money, rank, and even the clothes received from his father; who chose to become the lesser among the lesser; who embraced what society rejects. In an era that has made possession the measure of existence, nature a reserve to be exploited, the outsider an adversary, and war a permanent fixture in the vocabulary of politics, Francis does not appear remote: on the contrary, he appears subversively close” (Riva, 2026).
Reporting on the exhibition, the Italian newspaper Corriere dell’Umbria states that staging the collection inside this monumental gothic space, which was consecrated in 1315 and contains historic frescoes by Matteo da Gualdo and the workshop of Ottaviano Nelli, establishes a direct dialogue between historical heritage and contemporary practice. The review notes that the curation emphasises a return to the foundational source of raw matter and manual skill, specifically focusing on the physical reality of paint and sculpture occupying real time and space to counter the fleeting, virtual nature of digital art (S.Z., 2026).
References:
Riva, A. 2026. Il santo radicale. Francesco nell’arte contemporanea, ottocento anni dopo. Artuu Magazine, 13 August.
S.Z. 2026. Lo spirito di Francesco conquista i visitatori: Esposte le opere di ventotto artisti accomunati dalla ricerca sulla pittura e sulla scultura figurativa. Corriere dell’Umbria, 12 August, p. 14.
Exhibition Information:
Venue: Monumental Church of San Francesco, Corso Piave, 06026 Gualdo Tadino (PG), Umbria, Italy
Dates: 18 July – 25 October 2026
August Opening Hours: daily, 10:00 – 13:00 and 15:00 – 18:00
Free Entrance
ANNA KEEN
ARTIST
I wander around peripheral wastelands and intertidal zones with my sketchbook, observing Nature’s Beauty and Man’s Architecture of Power and Waste. I have painted these subjects for the past 30 years, whilst living in Paris, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam, London, the Isle of Wight, the Isle of Arran and the Alps.
VULNERABLE THROUGH VIRTUE
In memory of
Sir David Amess
A recreation of Wandering the Wilderness Art-Roadsigns from the Estuary 21 Festival.
Chalkwell Lifeguard, Leigh-on-Sea, Southend,Essex.
