Artist’s Heir Withholds Art Over Milan’s Anti-Gay Mayor

Italian artist Mario Sironi’s heir, Andrea Sironi, would donate 5,000 paintings to Milan, but she can’t reconcile her politics with those of Milan’s anti-gay mayor, Letizia Moratti. Conservative Moratti originally protested the ongoing 21st International Festival of Gay and Lesbian Cinema, which led Sironi to withdraw her donation.

Sironi told reporters, “Italy is taking steps backward while other parts of Europe are advancing. Italy is antiquated with its moralism.” His statement happens to coincide with the film festival’s announcement that Milan may, in fact, donate up to $26,000 to the event.

Upon hearing the news, Sironi said that he’d be willing to donate his forefather’s famous works, but only if Moratti and her government make a conscious effort to include queers, “I’m not stubborn. If she goes back on her decision, I don’t see why I can’t change my mind.” Art in exchange for social progress. How poetic…