Portrait links ancient and new masters

Vincenzo Sanfo says he would like to help cultivate excellent Chinese curators, who will help bring Western art and Chinese art together. Ju Chuanjiang / China Daily

Italian art curator has the honor of taking Leonardo Da Vinci to Shandong to say thanks

Art lovers in Shandong province have been privileged by the visit of works by two Italian masters in the past month. One a local hero, Vincenzo Sanfo, was there in person and was responsible for bringing along a self-portrait of the other - Leonardo da Vinci.

Or is it? The Lucan portrait of the Renaissance genius was only discovered in 2008 in a private house in southwest Italy and was first thought to be of Galileo. Art historians and experts are divided, but Sanfo is convinced it's by Leonardo.

The cracked and scratched egg tempera painting was the star exhibit of 354 works from famous European artists such as Picasso, Dal and Michelangelo Schiavoni, that Sanfo had brought to Shandong Museum in the provincial capital Jinan in October.

For Sanfo, the 67-year-old founder and president of the Italian Art and Cultural Center, the exhibition was a way of saying thanks to the provincial government for making him an "honorary citizen" last year by awarding him the Qilu Friendship Prize, the most prestigious for expats in the province.

He won it for his leading role in the enlightenment of the art scene in Shandong over the past 10 years, through promoting local and Chinese art and bringing in great European artworks.

Born in Turin, Sanfo started painting at the age of five and writing poems at 10. At 15, he held his first exhibition, showcasing posters of singers.

In 1995, he founded the Italian Art and Cultural Center, aimed at promoting art exhibitions, events and exchanges around the world in collaboration with museums, galleries, governments and organizations, as well as representing contemporary international artists.

Sanfo was impressed by his first visit to China in 1993. "China has seen rapid development. The country is no longer closed. It wants to be known by the world," he says.

Four years later, Sanfo brought paintings by six Chinese artists, including Chen Yifei and Liu Xiaodong, to the 47th Venice Biennial.

He also helped organize three exhibitions of the Beijing International Art Biennale, including the first in 2003.

That was the same year Sanfo held his first exhibition in Jinan, displaying works by contemporary Italian painters. Since then, he has visited Shandong province more than 100 times.

"Shandong is the place where Confucius was born and it's on the route connecting China's two major cities, Beijing and Shanghai. I think the province with its strong cultural ambience has the potential to be a capital of culture."

To increase the province's cultural portfolio, among the other exhibitions he has brought to Shandong have been ones focusing on Picasso's works, Italian sculptures and Italian contemporary design.

"I am strict about the paintings I exhibit," he says. "It doesn't matter if a painting looks good. What matters are the thoughts and ideas the painting conveys."

Sanfo compares himself to a farmer who sows the seeds of culture. The resulting growth is evident.

"Sanfo has played an important role in bringing Western artists and Chinese artists together," says Pan Lusheng, a member of the China National Academy of Painting. "This has promoted international communication in the field of culture."

Sanfo also holds a post as professor at Shandong University of Art and Design, teaching students how to organize museums and exhibitions. Maybe even fashion shows, as he has donated 100 drawings by Italian designer Giorgio Armani to the university.

He wants China to have its own world-renowned curators, he says.

"An exhibition is somewhat like a book," he says. "When you appreciate the works, you will try to understand the thoughts embedded in the works, just like you read a book page by page.

"Currently China is short of world-renowned curators." Their average age is 40, he says, indicating they only have at most 20 years' experience as a curator.

"I'd like to share my experience with Chinese people to help cultivate excellent curators," says Sanfo.

Zhang Hongmei, who has worked with Sanfo for several years, tells of the curator's ultimate dedication to China.

"Vincenzo Sanfo likes Chinese culture very much. He told me he'd like to have his remains buried in China," Zhang says.

Back at Shandong's European Classics Exhibition, the event saw an average of 20,000 visitors a day over the month it ran, drawn mostly by the Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci. It was only the third time the painting had been exhibited outside Italy.

"And it is probably the last time it will be seen for a while, as the painting will be undergoing restoration after it returns to Italy," says Sanfo.

zhaoruixue@chinadaily.com.cn