masseria pernice
Art in Masseria
Throughout its history, propelled by the strong passion for music of the hosts, the Masseria has been the stage for numerous artistic performances, as magnetically attracted by the country’s unique atmosphere of quiet and ferment, which, radiated by the notes, crystallized those present in a unique atmosphere; in a dream among the hills.
It was in the musical sphere that the Masseria Pernice found its ideal identity; especially facilitated by Costanza Mastrogiovanni Tasca, XII Princess of Camporeale, for many years president of the association “Amici del Teatro Massimo,” who sanctioned the beginning of the Masseria’s long concert tradition; later animatedly cultivated by her children and grandchildren.
Music as the highest form of celebration of natural rhythms and ceremonies has always played a leading role in the history of the Masseria; for more than ten years, the piano, accompanied by ever-changing voices and instruments, has traditionally accompanied the end of the harvest season-a well-deserved rest for the whole earth and for those in it who put hope and energy.
Several were the artists who found their ideal performance dimension in the Masseria, including the beloved Sicilian tenor Vincenzo La Scola, who was so fascinated by the land that he chose to live just a few meters from the masseria, the Juanjo Dominguez Trio, who with the warmth of Argentine guitars inaugurated the stage in the large hall.
Salvatore Bonafede, attracted by the colors and hues of the farmhouse in the fall was the first to bring Jazz to Pernice, followed a few years later by Irene Ientile and Ornella Cerniglia, a Sicilian duo of voice and piano with a Jazz- Folk concert dedicated to Pietro Paolo, who passed away that year.
More recently the latest generation of the family has further expanded the range of musical genres, organizing under the artistic direction of Paolo Sallier de La Tour three spring and summer concerts; the alternative rock of the Marraffa-Tasca-Crocivera Trio, the all-dancing Balkan of Balca Bandanica and the disruptive Afro-beat of A.F.A. in a synergy of artist-friends conjoined during their study period in Bologna.
In 2017 the Masseria also hosted Tom Yorke, leader and frontman of Radiohead, for two weeks.
Pernice’s universal artistic adaptability is proven by the enormous success and distinctiveness of the events organized, in the total symbiosis of Art and Nature, intrinsically linked in a dazzle of the senses, mirroring each other in one splendor.
The atmosphere of the Masseria encourages slower, more introspective reasoning in a landscape steeped in history and suggestion, from the land and its colors to the many archaeological sites nearby. The uniqueness of this place and the solid attachment to nature were the elements that inspired one of Pernice’s heirs, Paolo Sallier de La Tour, to create an Artist Residencies program.
Paul is an artist with a practice ranging from painting to floral installation, a graduate of the Academy of Fine Arts in Bologna, he will have the role of general director of the Artist Residency.
Determined to take part in the family’s agricultural tradition by fusing it with his own personal visual artist heritage, he has engaged international curator Dr. Cornelia Lauf as an adviser in creating a Sicilian workshop based in a rural reality no less complex than any urban environment. Cornelia will bring her own international networks to Pernice.
As a painter, I could not have asked for a better place to live. I have had the incredible good fortune to be born and raised in a landscape that is as magical as it is special, learning to understand the passage of the seasons by watching the flowers change, the trees, the seeds become fruit.
Probably color has been so important to me ever since, like the vibrant mirror in which to recognize the rhythm of nature.
I have completed my studies far away, but I will always return to this place, where light is able to speak to you in a rarely clear way, making it possible to find yourself in its reflection.
Paul Sallier de La Tour
Partridge Residence Project
The Pernice residency is a haven in which to explore ideas and emerge with new trajectories. The Foundation chooses Artists from a wide variety of backgrounds, traditions and cultures. Each residency participant is given the opportunity to experience the stillness and harmony of the countryside, which induces new reflections and allows them to crystallize their creative vision by providing time to analyze with different light and rhythm the artistic process and project development.
At the end of the residency, the Foundation will acquire a portion of the work executed by the artist as the beginning of Pernice’s permanent collection. In addition, the works executed and the documentation of the time spent in residency will be included in the Pernice Foundation’s annual catalog, which is distributed internationally.
residence November 2019
Dennis
Balk
residence November 2021
Robert
Violets
residence March 2023
Nicolas
Boulard
Music in Masseria
It was in the musical sphere that the Masseria Pernice found its ideal identity; especially facilitated by Costanza Mastrogiovanni Tasca, XII Princess of Camporeale, for many years president of the association “Amici del Teatro Massimo,” who sanctioned the beginning of the Masseria’s long concert tradition; later animatedly cultivated by her children and grandchildren. Music as the highest form of celebration of natural rhythms and ceremonies has always played a leading role in the history of the Masseria; for more than ten years, the piano, accompanied by ever-changing voices and instruments, has traditionally accompanied the end of the harvest season: a well-deserved rest for the whole earth and for those in it who put hope and energy.
