Bonfire 1 ©rockbadger
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The Casoria Contemporary Art Museum near Naples, Italy has started burning its collection of contemporary art to protest against harsh budget cuts for Italy’s cultural institutions.
The first piece of art to be torched was a painting by French artist Severine Bourguignon, who was in favor of the protest and watched it via the internet.
The director of the museum, Antonio Manfredi, is famously outspoken. His museum has become known for daring exhibitions against the power of the Naples-based Camorra organized crime group and has repeatedly been the target of mafia intimidation.
Last year Manfredi announced he had written a letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel asking for asylum, saying he was fed up with mafia threats and the government’s failure to protect Italy’s rich cultural heritage. He said he would take his entire museum with him if the asylum was granted but he never received a reply.
Neapolitan artist Rosaria Matarese will set fire to one of her works next as the protest continues.
Read more at the BBC.