Salvatore Sapienza was born in Catania in 1980. His passion for the decorative arts started when he was only 13 years old. His story as a decorator of Sicilian carts began by chance, when he painted an old wheel. After restoring the wheel and painting it, his father showed it to two veteran decorators. It was the beginning of a long story about art, love and craftsmanship and luckily has never ended. Salvatore began working with the decorators, Domenico Di Mauro and Antonio Zappalà, in their workshop. Di Mauro was his master and his mentor, teaching him all the tricks of the trade. He quickly fell in love with cart art and soon it blossomed into his great passion. With sacrifice and great effort, Salvatore has made over 30 Sicilian carts. Today Salvatore works in a fruit shop he took over from his grandfather 12 years ago. Who knows what he will create if in the future he finds time to indulge in his greatest passion every day.

Enamel and oil, 60 x 151 x 68.2 cm The surface of this refrigerator, a tribute to traditional Sicilian cart painting, is characterised by the vibrancy of the furling ribbon motifs (a cartocci). The three paintings on the front panel depict episodes inspired by the paladins of France: in the upper part, Charles Martel wipes out the infidels, in the centre Rinaldo surrenders to Charlemagne, and in the lower part Erminio della Stella D’oro liberates Oronzo and chases Gemma della Fiamma away.