Museo Comunale d'Arte Contemporanea Pino Pascali

The Pino Pascali Foundation - Museum of Contemporary Art of Polignano a Mare is located in the former building of the Municipal Slaughterhouse, located near the south seafront of the town. Founded in 1998, it was inaugurated with an anthological exhibition by Pino Pascali, curated by Achille Bonito Oliva and Peter Marino, on the occasion of the thirtieth anniversary of his death, in 1968. (Pino Pascali was born in 1935 in Polignano and is buried here). The stage managing of the Museum was awarded to Professor Rosalba Brana. With the establishment of the museum taking up the prestigious award for contemporary art, Pino Pascali, was delayed in 1978 with the assignment to J. Kounellis; the new statute establishes that this award, which lies in the production of an anthological exhibition and publication of the catalogue, is given in alternate years to a renowned art critic and an emerging artist. It begins with the Pino Pascali Award for art criticism which was awarded to Achille Bonito Oliva, who organised an exhibition of art videos (Alighiero Boetti, Bill Viola and others) and a conference.