Assisi to host international Madonnari street art event in 2026

In August 2026, more than 50 international Madonnari artists will gather in Assisi to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death of Saint Francis. The event, titled ‘Francesco nell’arte dei Madonnari’, will take place from August 28 to 30 on the lower square of the Basilica of Saint Francis.

The initiative includes the creation of a 50-square-meter collective masterpiece designed by Kurt Wenner, the inventor of 3D pavement art, alongside 40 individual works covering a total area of 220 square meters. This collaboration is the result of an agreement between the city of Assisi and Curtatone, a Mantua province location renowned for its international ephemeral figurative art through the Antichissima Fiera delle Grazie.

Organized by the Municipality of Assisi in collaboration with the Sacro Convento di Assisi, the event is supported by the National Committee for the Celebration of the Eighth Centenary of the Death of Saint Francis. Madonnari are street artists specializing in sacred icons and religious imagery created on public surfaces using chalk or other simple materials.