Il Premio Michetti, known as the Premio Nazionale di Pittura Francesco Paolo Michetti, is an art competition established in 1947 in Francavilla al Mare in honour of the painter Francesco Paolo Michetti. This historic event takes place in the prestigious setting of Museo Michetti and is the oldest painting prize in Italy after the Venice Biennale.
Each year, an exhibition is organised under the guidance of different curators, with a selected jury awarding prizes to some of the works featured in the show. These works are then acquired by the Foundation of the same name and displayed in the modern and contemporary art museum located on the first floor of MuMi.
Considered one of the most important awards in the contemporary art scene, the prize has seen the participation of numerous internationally renowned artists and critics.
Under the guidance of the Foundation’s president, cultural economist Pier Luigi Sacco, the Prize has now definitively evolved into a permanent laboratory. Its primary aim is no longer simply to stage a summer exhibition, but to integrate contemporary creative processes into everyday town life and public spaces throughout the year.
In the months leading up to the official opening, the Michetti Foundation is organising a series of programmes aimed at a critical re-examination of the historic works in the permanent collection, including masterpieces by Mario Ceroli and acquisitions from previous years.
