From his Progetto Arte onwards, the renowned Italian Arte Povera artist Michelangelo Pistoletto started to develop a comprehensive institution: Cittadellarte. Cittadellarte attempts to relate art to other realms of society such as economy and politics. In order to succeed in these translations, it combines a utopian quest with a highly pragmatic approach. This may be called entrepreneurial, but is first and foremost an artistic endeavour, in the sense that it avants to let aspirations take shape in reality. In the meantime, Cittadellarte has developed into an extensive network. It combines `Uffizi' - offices for the different realms of society - with innovative exhibitions, with various platforms for discussion, with a unique residency programme and with a multitude of divergent projects. This book for the first time ever gives a survey of that undertaking, in close cooperation with Cittadellarte and Michelangelo Pistoletto. It contains both an extensive documentation and new art works related to the presentation of Cittadellarte at the MuHKA. In the main text, the sociologist of culture Pascal Gielen describes Cittadellarte as an operational heterotopia which sprang from the art of Michelangelo Pistoletto.
