Pistoletto's new Venus of the Rags rises in Naples, then moves to church

Michelangelo Pistoletto's new Venus of the Rags was installed in Piazza Municipio, Naples, on March 6, 2024, replacing the original destroyed by arson on July 12, 2023. The new version uses fireproof materials and is guarded by the city. After 14 weeks, it will be permanently housed in the Basilica of San Pietro ad Aram, renamed the Cathedral of Charity, in agreement with Archbishop Domenico Battaglia and mediated by Father Antonio Loffredo. The artist funded the new work himself as a donation to Naples. The original arsonist, Simone Isaia, was convicted; Pistoletto expressed a desire to embrace him. Curator Vincenzo Trione emphasized the work's civil and political significance, while Mayor Gaetano Manfredi called public art an 'action.' A flash mob by schools and a documentary are planned.