27/04/2011
A portrait of Venice
By The Art Newspaper, 27 Apr 11
Venice. As the art world descends on Venice for its sprawling biennale this summer, a group of international artists remind visitors of the importance-and beauty-of the city itself. They have produced a series of personal photographs of the city, which will be published and displayed in a special exhibition during the biennale. Selected works are to be auctioned off later this year as part of a campaign to raise funds to save Venice from flooding.
The exhibition "Real Venice", on public view at the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore from 4 June (preview from 31 May), includes work by artist such as Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Nan Goldin, and Candida Höfer, among others. Each artist was invited to visit Venice and take a portrait of the city. A print of each edition of the resulting work was donated to the non-profit Venice in Peril, which has organised the show and is "committed to ensuring the sustainability of Venice". The photographs are also being published in a book by Ivorypress, founded by Elena Foster, who is also curating the exhibition.
After their display in Venice, the series will be shown in London at Phillips de Pury for two weeks in November. A dedicated auction of selected works will follow as part of the auction house's contemporary photography sales. An international tour of the exhibition is also planned, but details will not be finalised until later this year.
The advisory board for the project includes Anna Somers Cocks, chairman of Venice in Peril and group editorial director of The Art Newspaper, Elena Foster, founder, chairman and chief executive of Ivorypress, and David Landau, collector, businessman and scholar.
The Venice in Peril Fund was created after the great flood in 1966, when the city's waters rose nearly two metres above normal levels. Since then it has distributed millions of pounds for the restoration of Venetian monuments, buildings and works of art.
Read more about Real Venice
The exhibition "Real Venice", on public view at the Abbey of San Giorgio Maggiore from 4 June (preview from 31 May), includes work by artist such as Philip-Lorca diCorcia, Nan Goldin, and Candida Höfer, among others. Each artist was invited to visit Venice and take a portrait of the city. A print of each edition of the resulting work was donated to the non-profit Venice in Peril, which has organised the show and is "committed to ensuring the sustainability of Venice". The photographs are also being published in a book by Ivorypress, founded by Elena Foster, who is also curating the exhibition.
After their display in Venice, the series will be shown in London at Phillips de Pury for two weeks in November. A dedicated auction of selected works will follow as part of the auction house's contemporary photography sales. An international tour of the exhibition is also planned, but details will not be finalised until later this year.
The advisory board for the project includes Anna Somers Cocks, chairman of Venice in Peril and group editorial director of The Art Newspaper, Elena Foster, founder, chairman and chief executive of Ivorypress, and David Landau, collector, businessman and scholar.
The Venice in Peril Fund was created after the great flood in 1966, when the city's waters rose nearly two metres above normal levels. Since then it has distributed millions of pounds for the restoration of Venetian monuments, buildings and works of art.
Read more about Real Venice
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