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Fresco Portraits by Fabrizio Ruggiero
Limonaia di Villa La Pietra, New York University, Florence
Edgar Morin (France)
DAVIDE LOMBARDO: Let’s start from the portraits that went to the UN and are coming to La Pietra. How did this project develop? How did it become an exhibition?
FABRIZIO RUGGIERO: In 2015, the distinctive General Assembly building of the United Nations in New York, designed by Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, had just been renovated to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the signing of the UN Charter. The then President of the General Assembly, H.E. Sam Kahamba Kutesa, a leader from Uganda, promoted a theme of transforming people’s lives sustainably. He wanted an art exhibition reflecting this aspiration.
Joan Baez (USA)
The exhibition, part of the UN's “2015: Time for Global Action” campaign, also raised awareness about climate change and fragile ecosystems. I imagined the show with Idanna Pucci and Terence Ward as composed of two seemingly conflicting elements with a shared root: abstract sculptures and portraits. The sculptures used natural materials from around the world — fragile totems symbolizing Earth’s vulnerability. The objective was to show how art can build bridges where politics divide.
Jiddu Krishnamurti (India)
DAVIDE LOMBARDO: How did you choose the sitters? What do they have in common? How do you work on a sitter?
FABRIZIO RUGGIERO: The 16 portraits depict artists, writers, poets from all continents who contributed to the common good of humanity and changed how we think. These effigies — not just portraits — represent the power of generosity and compassion. The sitters include Pierre-Claver Akendengue, Maya Angelou, Joan Baez, Audrey Hepburn, Vassily Kandinsky, Umm Kulthum, Gong Li, Miriam Makeba, Edgar Morin, Fatemeh Motamed-Arya, Okot p’Bitek, Satyajit Ray, Sebastiao Salgado, Wole Soyinka, Ngugi Wa Thiong’o, and Malala Yousafzai.
Miriam Makeba (South Africa)
DAVIDE LOMBARDO: Would you share your connection with one of these sitters?
FABRIZIO RUGGIERO: One portrait I’ll show in the Limonaia is of Jiddu Krishnamurti — a free thinker I met in my early twenties. He said that ideas, like beliefs and prejudices, can limit our capacity to think clearly. We need to examine the structure of thought itself — its origins in memory, experience, and conditioning. Only by understanding this cycle can we find space for new ideas and awareness.
Sebastiao Salgado (Brazil)
DAVIDE LOMBARDO: Your portraits are called effigies. Why not icons?
FABRIZIO RUGGIERO: “Effigy” comes from Latin *effingĕre* — to shape or reproduce in relief. Effigies stand out physically and spiritually. Icons are sacred by definition, but these people transcend religion. They’re humanists. Also, my works are built in thick layers — relief-like — just as effigy implies. We speak of “people,” but I prefer “human beings” — a term that unites us instead of dividing.
Wole Soyinka (Nigeria)
DAVIDE LOMBARDO: What are you working on these days?
FABRIZIO RUGGIERO: Many cultures say the future lies behind us — we can’t see it until it arrives. I love that. Pliny the Elder said painting began by tracing shadows. That means painting is the border between light and dark, order and chaos. For me, painting is a way to develop awareness — to be fully in the now. It's always modern because it marks the line between past and present. It’s freedom from the oppression of the “next.”
Gong Li (China)
Malala Yousafzai (Pakistan)
DAVIDE LOMBARDO: What are you working on these days?
FABRIZIO RUGGIERO: Many cultures say the future lies behind us — we can’t see it until it arrives. I love that. Pliny the Elder said painting began by tracing shadows. That means painting is the border between light and dark, order and chaos. For me, painting is a way to develop awareness — to be fully in the now. It's always modern because it marks the line between past and present. It’s freedom from the oppression of the “next.”
This exhibition was part of the “Ideas, People, Change” project coordinated by Davide Lombardo, NYU Florence.
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