'Venus of the Rags' rises from ashes in Naples after arson attack

The open-air installation of "Venus of the Rags," one of the most famous works by Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, was inaugurated in Naples on Wednesday (March 6) after it was destroyed by an arson attack last year.

The new giant version of the sculpture, of which several examples are on display in museums around the world, was unveiled in Piazza del Municipio, a monumental square in the heart of the southern Italian city.

The new version was made of fire-proof material.

The original "Venus of the Rags" was created in 1967 and various versions are on display in museums across Europe, including the Tate Gallery in Liverpool, northern England.

A symbol of the Arte Povera movement which counts Pistoletto among its leading members, it shows the Roman goddess of love, beauty, and fertility standing next to a pile of rags.

The installation, first created in 1967, is meant to convey the juxtaposition between eternal beauty, represented by the goddess Venus, and modern society's social degradation and consumerism.

Pistoletto, 90, entirely financed the new artwork, which was permanently donated to Naples.

The money raised through a crowd-funding effort launched after the fire will be used to finance projects by non-profit organizations supporting people with disabilities and female prisoners.