SAN FRANCESCO - Our contemporary. Art and Spirituality from Burri to Pistoletto is the new exhibition by Fondazione Perugia at Palazzo Baldeschi, which from April 18 to November 1, 2026 presents an original exhibition proposal that puts contemporary art, spirituality, and territorial identity in dialogue to explore and pay tribute to the figure of Saint Francis, whose eight hundred years since death are commemorated in 2026. The exhibition, which has obtained prestigious endorsements from the Ministry of Culture, the National Committee for the celebration of the Eighth centenary of the death of Saint Francis of Assisi, the Umbria Region, and the Municipality of Perugia, stems from the collaboration between Fondazione Perugia and the National Gallery of Umbria, whose Director Costantino D'Orazio is also the curator of the project. The aim is to build a dialogue between the historical heritage of the territory and the languages of the present.

Saint Francis of Assisi, who died in 1226 and was canonized in 1228, is a figure that continues to speak with extraordinary strength to the modern world, a character who over the centuries has become an archetype of values that are more relevant than ever today, such as the harmonious relationship with nature, attention to the marginalized, dialogue among all creatures, and the search for an authentic dimension of existence.

The exhibition, which boasts loans from important institutions including MAXXI_National Museum of 21st Century Arts, Custody General of the Sacred Convent of Assisi, National Art Gallery of Bologna, National Archaeological Museum of Umbria, Pistoletto Foundation, Pro Civitate Christiana, is organized by Fondazione Perugia and is precisely born with the intention of investigating this strong spiritual and cultural heritage, going beyond the traditional hagiographic events, reinterpreting all the themes carried by the Saint through the lens of art and especially through some of the most significant artists of the 20th century and the early 2000s.