Presenting Maestro Andrea Benetti in Bari, my city—the place I immediately chose as the venue to host his exhibition and introduce the endemic message conveyed by his works—is an immense honor for me. A long-cherished dream has come true, one for which I have passionately worked for many months. In this historical period—one in which Art and Culture, in general, face only cuts and receive minimal funding, mainly from private sources—I wish, above all else, to thank the companies that have supported us on this extraordinary journey, first and foremost AMGAS of Bari, without whom this artistic and cultural event would not have been possible.
Why Andrea Benetti? Amazingly, this significant event comes to life on the exact day that, a year ago, I first reached out to the Maestro, proposing to curate an exhibition for him in Bari. In a sort of magical symbolism, it was the very artwork acquired by the Vatican Collections (received by Pope Benedict XVI on November 28, 2012) titled Homage to Karol Wojtyla that struck me with its incredible visual and emotional impact. Gazing upon that piece, I saw, in an instant, the history of Christianity pass before my eyes. In my opinion, the Cross in that artwork retains the strength of Christ’s evocative symbol—the symbol among symbols—remaining intact in the meaning of its agonizing origin, yet astonishingly transposed by Benetti into a temple of colors. This transformation shatters its dark and sorrowful connotation, turning it into one of hope, joy, and rebirth. That Cross stands out like a jewel amid precious colors, which I interpret as the positive emotions of humanity.
It was no coincidence that, just a few days ago, I described Benetti in these terms: “You are the most beautiful and incredible bridge between the ancient and the modern.” In recent years, the Maestro’s artistic work has left powerful marks on the contemporary art scene, elevating Andrea Benetti among the few young, living artists worthy of exhibiting their work alongside that of renowned figures such as Andy Warhol, Amedeo Modigliani, Giorgio de Chirico, Keith Haring, Mario Schifano, Max Jacob, Carlo Corsi, and Jules Pascin—as was the case in the exhibition held in Rome at Palazzo Taverna in November 2009.
The purity, personality, and transformation of his inner narrative—his passion for caves and prehistoric painting, born from the travels he undertook as a child with his grandfather around the world—have become increasingly incisive, culminating in the explosion of his artistic expression. In addition to his masterful pictorial stylizations, he also conveys this passion in drawings on Montesanto paper (a type of paper he designed), where Benetti’s work appears almost as an ancient parchment, resurfacing from the depths of history. His unique techniques on canvas, which he himself developed to make the material resemble stone, allow him to paint invented symbols or reinterpret those created by prehistoric man. His Neo-Cave Art Manifesto, conceived and written in 2006, has become famous, and in 2009, at the invitation of M.A.C.I.A. (Museum of Italian Contemporary Art in America) and curated by Gregorio Rossi, he presented it at the 53rd Venice Biennale in the Nature and Dreams pavilion at Ca’ Foscari University.
Numerous prestigious exhibitions have featured his work in recent years, as well as acquisitions by important national and international institutions. However, I prefer not to list all of the Maestro’s achievements here, as I would rather focus on his artistic work. What is truly remarkable is the immediacy with which his artworks capture the viewer’s attention; in every subject he explores, he magically blends the symbolism of primitive cave art with contemporary forms, incorporating rituals—both evident and hidden—alongside the starkness of everyday objects, which will themselves become interpretative symbols of our era for future generations.
The subjects chosen by the Bolognese painter for his works are diverse, alternating across his canvases with his unique stylistic code, infused with mystical laws—an ever-present and essential key, without which neither the world nor human endeavors could exist. Like an ancient shaman, Andrea Benetti centers his message on human ethics and the respect that mankind must have for Nature, with which he must harmoniously integrate. The same Nature that prehistoric man sought to appease through probable rituals and, perhaps, through the paintings he created on the rock walls of caves. That early ancestor could never have imagined that those symbols, those paintings, would later become fundamental—containing, within themselves, all the major artistic currents that would manifest and evolve over millennia, especially from the 19th century to the present day.
In essence, Andrea Benetti is not just an artist but an extraordinary proponent of an important ethical and environmental message at a time of great moral and intellectual impoverishment. His call is clear: Wake up from the slumber of ephemeral pleasures, those that leave no trace—neither present nor future. Return to the origins of an ancient and respectful code of conduct towards the forces—Nature and Spirit—without which true life cannot exist. Return to the origins, to a time when every action was guided by reverence for the Earth.
Andrea Benetti’s art serves as a medium for this message of love and respect. I believe it is easy to understand why the powerful artistic and cultural work of Andrea Benetti, encapsulated in the Neo-Cave Art Manifesto, has captivated me, displacing all other projects and becoming an essential “milestone” before any further steps could be taken. I hope that the same will happen to you as you view and, I am certain, appreciate these works and the message they convey. I firmly believe that the university is the most appropriate venue for this event, both for its educational role and for its mission to instill in young minds the profound cultural meanings that contribute to the proper formation of students.
For this, I sincerely thank both Rectors of the University of Bari—truly Magnificent—and I am delighted to have had the fortune of meeting them both, having presented this project during the transition from Professor Corrado Petrocelli to Professor Antonio Felice Uricchio, the current Rector of the Aldo Moro University of Bari. I also want to thank Professor Donato Coppola—Prehistoric Archaeology / Paleoethnology—who has been an invaluable interlocutor in the realization of the seminar on the Neo-Cave Art Manifesto. My gratitude also extends to everyone, both inside and outside the university, who assisted in organizing this complex event, particularly the university’s communication management department (exhibition organization) and press office.
A heartfelt thank you to all those who, even without knowing me personally, appreciated and embraced this artistic event, making themselves available to support it.
But my greatest thanks go to Maestro Andrea Benetti—an incredible individual whose greatness is encapsulated in a simplicity and humanity that I will never forget.