Vincenzo Trione on the Burning of Pistoletto's Venus: 'A Unique Event in Recent Art History'

Nearly a month after the fire that destroyed Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venere degli stracci' in Piazza Municipio, Naples, the controversy continues. Vincenzo Trione, advisor to the mayor for contemporary art and curator of the Napoli Contemporanea project, dismisses claims of popular rebellion against the work, noting it was widely embraced and photographed. The arson, he says, was the act of a single disturbed individual suffering from a 'reverse Stendhal syndrome.' Trione compares the media reaction to that following the destruction of the Bamiyan Buddhas, but stresses the absence of political or religious motives. He defends the work's scale, arguing it was conceived in dialogue with Álvaro Siza's metaphysical architecture. A civic crowdfunding campaign, promoted by the association L'Altra Napoli and supported by the municipality, aims to raise €120,000 for reconstruction. The summer program continues with installations by Antonio Marras and a forthcoming monumental work by Gaetano Pesce at Rotonda Diaz, accompanied by a performance with students from the Naples Conservatory.