Alberto Burri's 'Grande Ferro R' Restored in Ravenna

The monumental public sculpture 'Grande Ferro R' by Alberto Burri (1915–1995) in Ravenna has undergone a major restoration completed in early 2025. The site-specific work, installed in the early 1990s at the Palazzo delle Arti e dello Sport (named after Mauro de André), consists of ten 9-meter iron elements arranged in five pairs forming circular thresholds. The red-painted semi-arches evoke a stylized inverted ship hull, hands about to join, or an interrupted arch. The restoration, initiated in autumn 2023 during the VIII Biennale di Mosaico Contemporaneo, was carried out by Laboratorio del Restauro di Ravenna and Il Pennello di Faenza in collaboration with Fondazione Palazzo Albizzini Collezione Burri. The project was prompted by the exhibition 'BURRIRAVENNAORO' curated by Bruno Corà at MAR – Museo d'Arte di Ravenna. Ravenna's culture assessor Fabio Sbaraglia stated the restoration is a key outcome of the strengthened relationship with the Burri Foundation, which also granted a loan of an 'Oro e Nero' work to MAR. The sculpture is accompanied by travertine fountains by Ettore Sordini and the Danteum monument.