Carlo Scarpa e la Galleria Regionale della Sicilia

L’assenza dell’angelo Gabriele e la presenza di Frank Lloyd Wright

Abstract

The Mandamento Tribunali is situated on Via Allora in Palermo.2 Within this historic quarter, you find Palazzo Abatellis.3 It stands only a few metres from the church of Santa Maria degli Angeli, and since 1954, it has been home to the Galleria Regionale della Sicilia. On a sunny day, while looking through the portal, one can unconsciously discover an alternation of spaces defined by shadow and light. The spectator is unaware that this sequence of shadow and light will be one of the guiding themes throughout the gallery. The initial sensation occurs before even entering the building, and as such, the project must be clearly explained. Above all, we must ask why Carlo Scarpa is present in Palermo at the beginning of the 1950s.