An installation depicting a statue of Venus leaning against a pile of multicolored clothes by Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto was destroyed in a suspected arson attack on Wednesday just two weeks after it was unveiled in a square in Naples. City officials and the 90-year-old artist have pledged to reconstruct the artwork, which was to be on display until December, according to media reports.
Pistoletto and the mayor of Naples, Gaetano Manfredi, expressed their dismay at the fire. Video footage showed flames engulfing the 7-meter-tall artwork, leaving only the charred and twisted metal frame beneath clothing. Italian media reported that a 32-year-old homeless man was arrested after police investigated video footage.
The artist produced several versions of Venus of the rags, which contrasts the beauty and timelessness of classical sculpture with contemporary consumerism. The version unveiled on June 28 was part of a program called Contemporary Naples, initiated by the city and curated by Vincenzo Trione. The goal was to bring less traveled parts of the city to life with art, Gaetano said at the unveiling of the artwork.
