Refrigerator of Art

All their work is extremely recognisable and bears their personal touch. All the creations by the Bevilacqua brothers are dominated by bright yellow, intense blue, emerald green and deep black, representing the Sicilian sun, sea, hills and the lava on Mount Etna.

Adriana and Tiziana, mother and daughter, both Sicilian and both from, Catania, they work together in a volcanic symbiosis, forming an explosive couple. Their secret is their love for Sicily, for culture, tradition and, naturally, for the art of the Pupi. The age-old culture of the carts, an important part of Sicilian “architecture”, is a source of endless inspiration for them.

Born in Catania in 1975, Alice still lives and works in the city. For Alice the discovery of carts came from her interest in “objets d’art” and the “roots of her family”. As the only woman amongst the very few painters of carts to inherit this age-old and complex decorative art.

Biagio Castilletti had a great admiration for carts ever since he was a child, and never missed an opportunity to draw them on every piece of paper within his reach. Biagio met Damiano Rotella in 2003. Since then the professional lives of the two artists became entwined. Biagio started to visit Damiano’s workshop, giving him advice and support. This led to a friendship based on trust, mutual collaboration and a passion for craftsmanship

Gaetano Daniele Di Guardo, in addition to painting mainly on canvas in a dreamlike, surreal style, he teaches courses in local schools and introduces young people to the recurring techniques of Renaissance art. In recent years he rediscovered the values of the Sicilian painting tradition and became impassioned about cart decoration.

Gianfranco Fiore discovered the world of the Sicilian cart and fell in love: he began frequenting the prestigious workshops of the few master craftsmen still in operation and learned traditional decorating techniques from them. He then opened his own studio in Partinico and tracked down damaged carts and restored them with the aim of conserving the carts themselves and passing on the tradition.

Michelangelo Lacagnina at just 5 years old, he decided to draw the 40 cards of the Sicilian deck. Since then he has been painting, sculpting, engraving, inlaying and generally expanding his knowledge of the oil, tempera, charcoal and mosaic techniques in an expressive style that has been distinctively his own from the outset. 

Roberto Caputo, over the years he has developed and expressed his creativity by experimenting with a variety of techniques and styles. His canvases recount his homeland, Sicily, with the narrow streets, monuments and warm colours of the Mediterranean inland. 

Salvatore Sapienza's 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. His father showed it to two veteran decorators. Salvatore began working with the decorators in their workshop. He quickly fell in love with cart art and soon it blossomed into his great passion. 

Since 1973 the Patania family have been making the traditional Sicilian Pupi, the famous puppet, in Catania. The Patanias have built an artisan business which has Sicilian tradition and unique charm at its core. These “treasures of the past” are refined, harmonious and unique objects. They are the result of a passion for the craft, a sense of belonging to their land and a meticulous love for quality materials. 

Tommaso Provenzano specialised in figurative painting, mosaics and restoration. In the paintings of Tommaso Provenzano, battle scenes of the paladins and medieval jousting contests are portrayed in an entirely personal way, distinguished by their bold colours that evoke Sicily’s sun-drenched landscapes: ultramarine blue, vermillion and yellow ochre.