Il Ratto Di Europa

Produced by Bureau.Art during Miart and Milan Design Week, Il Ratto di Europa began with a constraint: one painting that could not be moved. Set within the wood-paneled, velvet-lined rooms of BKV Fine Art, an early 20th-century Milanese palazzo dedicated to Old Masters, the exhibition was conceived around Luca Giordano’s monumental Il Ratto di Europa. The painting depicts the abduction of Europa, a Phoenician princess from the Eastern Mediterranean who is carried across the sea to Crete by Zeus, disguised as a bull. Her story becomes the origin myth of the European continent itself. But Europa is not European. She is Phoenician. At the center of the exhibition is this historical paradox: Europe’s origin story begins not in Europe, but in the East. Her passage across the Mediterranean echoes centuries of cultural exchange and conflict that continue to shape the region today. In 2026, The Rape of Europa is no longer only a mythological scene, but an open question about displacement, identity, power, and where Europe begins. Curated by Sarah Daoui and Vittoria di Savoia, the exhibition brought together eight international contemporary artists: Naudline Pierre, Eli Ping, Cristine Brache, India Sachi, Joseph Olisaemeka Wilson, Jairo Sosa, Fien Van der Steichel, and Monia Ben Hamouda. Each artist was invited into direct conversation with Giordano’s painting, bringing their own perspective to its histories and contemporary resonances. The setting was integral to that conversation. Installed among wooden boiserie, velvet walls, and Old Master paintings, the contemporary works existed in tension with the history and architecture already present. The project reflected Daoui and di Savoia’s shared interest in moving beyond the conventions of the white cube, allowing the space itself to become part of the curatorial dialogue. Alongside the exhibition, Bureau.Art hosted an intimate collectors’ dinner bringing together participating artists, collectors, curators, and friends of the project during Milan Design Week. Il Ratto di Europa was featured in Elle Decor, Vanity Fair, and La Colliera.