Museo all'aperto Bilotti, Modern art museum on Corso Mazzini, Cosenza, Italy
The Museo all'aperto Bilotti is an open-air museum of modern art in central Cosenza, with sculptures installed along Corso Mazzini. The works are permanently set in the pedestrian street and can be seen during an ordinary walk through the city center.
The Museo all'aperto Bilotti was inaugurated in March 2005 by Giovanni Puglisi, then president of UNESCO Italy, following Carlo Bilotti's donation of twentieth-century works to Cosenza. The route runs 1.2 km along Corso Mazzini, made a pedestrian zone in 2002, from Piazza dei Bruzi to Piazza Bilotti. Works were added over the years, including Sacha Sosno's 'Sette di cuori' in January 2011, which refers to Cosenza's seven hills.
The museum takes its name from brothers Carlo and Enzo Bilotti, two collectors originally from Cosenza who gave their collection to the city. The works stand in the middle of everyday street life, between café terraces and shop windows, visible to anyone passing by.
The open-air museum is in the pedestrian zone of the city center and is free to visit at any time of year. Comfortable shoes are a good idea, as the sculptures are spread along the street and viewing them means walking the full length of the corso.
One of the most recognizable works in the collection is Salvador Dali's bronze 'Saint George and the Dragon', which stands in the open on the pavement. Dali created it in a surrealist style where the body and armor dissolve into unexpected shapes.
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