Why Public Art?
At first glance, one would be inclined to think that there are more important cultural aspects to preserve in Venice than the city's outdoor sculpture. After all, Tintorettos and Titians are rarer, churches are more monumental, and palazzi are more beautiful. Why, then, is PreserVenice actively pursuing the preservation of public art in Venice?
Public art is significant to the history of Venice, moreso than many of the pieces of art that have already been lucky enough to have the attention of conservation groups in the city already. The life of Venetians has been documented for a millennium by unknown artists, many working with nothing more than leftover slabs of marble. The city's patrician families are immortalized on the buildings they once owned; the religious and social affiliations of citizens are advertised; the mythology significant to local neighborhoods is represented in their gathering places.
To the uninformed eye, public art is nothing more than insignificant pieces of sculpture scattered about the city. But to PreserVenice, the collection of public art of Venice is a priceless treasure, at risk from a variety of factors, and definitely worth preserving. We firmly believe that the collection of more than 4,000 pieces of public art in Venice can tell the story of the city more accurately and surprisingly than almost any other aspect of the city today.
To find out what public art is, click here.
To learn more about the different types of public art in Venice, click here.