Costa Smeralda Journal: Art, an endless discovery

Interview by Francesca Lombardi

Nancy Olnick and Giorgio Spanu have transformed a passion born almost by chance into one of the most important projects devoted to Italian art in the United States. From Murano glass to Arte Povera, and ultimately the creation of Magazzino Italian Art, their journey brings together instinct, study and sharing, while keeping alive their connection with Sardinia, Giorgio’s homeland and a constant presence in their vision.

How did your Murano glass collection begin?
Nancy Olnick: We were at a New York auction house to collect a contemporary art catalogue when a glass hourglass, half cobalt blue and half emerald green, caught our eye. We bought it on impulse. At home, we placed it next to Andy Warhol’s Flowers: the encounter between 1950s Venetian glass and American Pop Art was astonishing. That was where it all began.

What fascinates you about glass?
Nancy Olnick: At first, it was above all the colour and the forms. Then we began to learn about the techniques, the artists and the glassworks. Glass reflects light and transforms everything around it. It has a mysterious presence: when you hold it, it seems to vibrate with a life of its own.

Which artist became central to the collection?
Giorgio Spanu: Carlo Scarpa. The simplicity of his forms, the Eastern influences and his innovative techniques brought an extraordinary modernity to Murano. But the collection spans the entire twentieth century, from Vittorio Zecchin and Napoleone Martinuzzi to Fulvio Bianconi, Ettore Sottsass, Gio Ponti and Giorgio Vigna.

How did you move from glass to Arte Povera?
Giorgio Spanu: Through curiosity. The gallerist Sauro Bocchi suggested that we visit an Arte Povera exhibition at Castello di Rivoli, curated by Rudi Fuchs. We loved everything. We began slowly, studying and buying only works we genuinely loved. Our criterion is simple: we must love the work, and the work must love us. We do not buy with the market in mind or simply to tick a box in the collection.

When did the private dimension become insufficient?
Nancy Olnick: When the works became too large for our home. At first, we simply imagined a storage space where we could preserve them and show them to friends. We never imagined it would become a museum.

What is its mission today?
Giorgio Spanu: To share and generate knowledge. To promote Italian artists. Magazzino is not merely an exhibition space: it has a library, archives and a Research Center, open to students and scholars.

How does Sardinia continue to feature in your project?
Giorgio Spanu: Through my roots, the Sardinian donkeys that live at Magazzino, and our focus on artists such as Costantino Nivola and Maria Lai. With Maria Lai, however, it was Nancy who first recognized her greatness, in New York. When we arrived in Ulassai and visited the Stazione dell’Arte, we were astonished. It demonstrates that art can emerge from a specific place and speak to the whole world.


Read interview in Italian