The library, dedicated to the Reggio patriot and man of letters Antonio Panizzi – who played a part in the unification of Italy, became principal librarian at the British Museum and cured editions of Matteo Boiardo’s Orlando Innamorato and Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso (1830-34) – hosts one of the works of art designed for the city thanks to the project “Invitation to… Luciano Fabro, Sol LeWitt, Eliseo Mattiacci, Robert Morris”.
Whirls and Twirls 1 by the American artist Sol LeWitt is painted on the ceiling vault of the 18th century reading room of the library, a colorful vortex that gives the illusion of moving and changing under our eyes. As every piece in the artistic project “Invitation to…”, Sol LeWitt’s pursued an integration with the hosting environment and he surely hit the mark by giving the city “one of the greatest and most admirable contemporary art decoration executed on the ceiling of historical building in Europe”, as commented by the art critic and historian Bruno Corà.
