Domenico Bianchi, Panchina, 2008–2009

Panchina (Bench) is the title of the artwork by Domenico Bianchi commissioned by Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu for the 2009 Olnick Spanu Art Program. The piece consists of three elements: a grey Cardoso stone seat, a piece of grey Cardoso stone drapery, and a Portoro marble inlay. Conceived by the artist, the piece was realized by Luciano Massari and chiseled by Antonio Dalle Lucche at the Studi d’Arte Cave di Michelangelo in Carrara in the Apuan Alps, the home of marble quarries that date back to the 1st century BCE.

A bench is nearly always related to a frame, a frame created with the idea of capturing a vast horizon, a picturesque view, or a small detail. Positioned at a vantage point overlooking the historic Hudson Valley, Panchina can be seen as an item of design, a sculpture, and a two-dimensional adornment all at once. In this work, the nature of the mere thing is transcended by artistic intention, which has made of it a real work of art. Etched into its surface is a signature drawing by Bianchi, suggesting a celestial dimension. The sculpture also functions as a painting: it does not hang on a wall, but can rather be brushed up against by various onlookers who may find themselves sharing this seat. Panchina is many things: a relational device, a functional object for a painter, and, finally, a work that is comprehensively in dialogue with its surroundings, the horizon, the sky, and the atmospheric light.

Medium and dimensions

Stone, Marble

23.38 x 86.63 x 19.63 in. (60 x 220 x 50 cm)

For information on the artist and the artwork please contact Galleria Christian Stein, Milan, info@galleriachristianstein.com.