Painter, sculptor, architect, eclectic and brilliant artist, Nick Spatari He leaves this world at 91, after having lived an intense life, rich in interests and emotions. Almost a century of life dedicated to art in its many forms, which today remain immortal in the green valley of Mammola where Nik, the great master, built the Musaba: the Santa Barbara Museum.
A monumental open-air work created from the late 1960s to the present day with his lifelong companion, Hiske Maas. At Musaba, for several years now, many young artists from around the world have had the wonderful experience of working alongside Spatari.
Nik Spatari and his art: a universal heritage
Nik Spatari, born in Mammola (Reggio Calabria) in 1929, lived a full youth. He traveled and gained experience throughout Europe. In Paris he met and frequented great figures such as the painter Picasso, Writer Cocteau, the architect Le Corbusier and the existentialist philosopher SartreIn Milan he ran an art gallery for a few years but, at a certain point in his life, he felt the need to return to his homeland: Calabria.
Together with Hiske Maas, he returns to his native Mammola, where he creates the Musaba in the countryside surrounding an ancient, ruined monastery. Among the many works created in the museum's setting among the olive trees is the famous Sistine Chapel, which, with its strong colors and powerful figures, expresses a powerful pathos.
Calabrian institutions send their greetings to Nik Spatari.
In her greeting to Spatari, the governor Jole Santelli reiterated: "As the Region of Calabria, we have the duty to ensure that Spatari's enormous artistic heritage is not lost. It is a treasure that has been given to us and that we must pass on and make known to tourists who want to learn about Calabria and its cultural heritage." Santelli reiterated: "Even those who are not art experts, crossing the road to Mammola, are immediately struck by the sight of the Musaba art park. A project born thanks to the creativity of Nik Spatari and the vision of his partner Hiske Maas. Two artists who abandon the international success of Milan and New York to return to Nick's roots.
Together, on the rubble of a crumbling ruin, they are building a resilient artistic experience that places Calabria at the center of international experimentation of the highest level." For the regional councilor for Culture, Nino Spirlì, Spatari's Musaba is a divine gift to humanity, embellished with works of unspeakable beauty and unmistakable meaning. Although saddened by this earthly farewell, I envy the Heavens that welcome him. These regions of ours and our people owe so much to Nik Spatari, who, with his inseparable Hiske Maas, he chose to return and reside tenaciously among the stones of Aspromonte. Thus enriching it with a boldly overbearing artistic Eden, visible from every horizon and visitable at any time."
