A New Art Exhibit Shows Italy’s Commitment to Preserving Cultural Heritage

January 13, 2020

Brava Italia and Welcome, Generale Riccardo! A Commitment to Cultural Preservation

Italy’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Mariangela Zappia opened a new exhibit of artworks recovered by the Italian Comando Carabinieri per la Tutela del Patrimonio Culturale, Italy’s law enforcement agency responsible for the protection of cultural heritage.

The exhibit opened on Tuesday in New York and includes cultural objects repatriated by Carabinieri investigations. It underscores the UN’s commitment to cultural heritage preservation.

Ambassador Zappia and United Nations Secretary General António Gutteres highlighted Italy’s work, discussing its pivotal role at the United Nations in advocating cultural heritage preservation.

Both diplomats remarked on Italy’s efforts to get unanimous passage of the groundbreaking UN Security Council Resolution 2347 that outlines UN policy on how to fight looting and the illicit trafficking of antiquities, the importance of which the Antiquities Coalition has written about before.

Exhibit Highlights

Works on display include:

A well-known funerary relief from Palmyra looted in Syria and recovered in Asti in Italy in 2011.
An amphora attributed to the Harrow painter illegally excavated in the 1990s in southern Italy and recovered in New York in 2017
Illuminated manuscript pages and other masterpieces now investigated and repatriated by the Carabinieri.

Ambassador Zappia also introduced the new commander of the Carabinieri cultural force, General Roberto Riccardi. General Riccardi told the Antiquities Coalition he is an author of many books, and articles and his ability with language was on full display. He harkened back to ancient Rome to describe the Carabinieri’s work. “We do not fight for Mars, the god of war,” the General said. “We fight for Venus, the goddess of beauty.”

The Antiquities Coalition Commends Italy’s Protection of Cultural Heritage

The Antiquities Coalition works closely with Italy’s Permanent Mission and with the Carabinieri and has witnessed their leadership in the protection of cultural heritage preservation around the world.

We sincerely thank Ambassador Zappia and the experts at the mission and welcome General Riccardi to America and the community of committed heritage preservationists. Benvenuto, Generale!

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