Dalí, De Chirico and Manzù along Corso Mazzini
In the modern centre of Cosenza, along Corso Mazzini, the main pedestrian street of the city, lined with shops and cafés, there is an unusual and surprising museum: the MAB, Museo all'Aperto Bilotti, an open-air collection of contemporary sculptures by great artists of the twentieth century, displayed free of charge in the street, among passers-by, children playing and people shopping. The museum was born in the 2000s thanks to the generosity of Carlo Bilotti, an art collector of Cosenza origin who had made his fortune in the United States, and who donated to his city a series of important works, to which others were later added.
Walking along the corso, you meet, among others, the "San Giorgio e il drago" by Salvador Dalí, a bronze sculpture with the saint on horseback killing the dragon, typical of the visionary style of the Spanish master, "Ettore e Andromaca" by Giorgio De Chirico, the two metaphysical mannequins embracing, the "Cardinale" by Giacomo Manzù, works by Emilio Greco, Mimmo Rotella, the great Calabrian artist of décollage, born in Catanzaro, Sacha Sosno, and other artists. The result is a sort of urban gallery, which brings art into everyday life and makes the corso one of the most original streets in southern Italy. In the old town, the Galleria Nazionale di Cosenza, at Palazzo Arnone, displays works from the Middle Ages to the twentieth century, including those of the Calabrian painter Mattia Preti.
Tip: stroll along Corso Mazzini in the evening, when it is full of life; combine the MAB with a visit to old Cosenza.
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