Decorative panels of Galileo Chini and other works of Art of the Biennale’s permanent collection
Fondazione La Biennale di Venezia, Venice

La Biennale di Venezia’s A.S.A.C. (Archivio Storico delle Arti Contemporanee, Historical Archives of Contemporary Arts) houses a collection of artistic heritage which goes back to the first Venice Biennale in 1895.
Venetian Heritage decided to start a collaboration with La Biennale di Venezia by restoring important pieces of Modern and Contemporary Art which had been stored under extremely poor conditions, that caused serious deterioration. Twenty-seven works have been restored: sixteen large decorative panels by Galileo Chini, six paintings by Mario Sironi, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Zoran Music, Carlo Mattioli, Bruno Saetti and Agostino Bonalumi; two sculptures by Christos Capralos and Marcello Morandini and three anonymous works of tempera on paper. The restoration of the sixteen large tempera on canvas paintings by Galileo Chini, created for the central salon at the 1920 Biennale, was entrusted to Carla Bertorello of the Conservazione Beni Culturali (CBC) cooperative. Anna Laganà had the task of restoring the six paintings by Mario Sironi, Giuseppe Capogrossi, Carlo Mattioli, Zoran Music, Bruno Saetti and Agostino Bonalumi. Margherita Errera of the Laboratorio Filigrana Venezia restored the three anonymous works on paper. Those especially involved were Superintendent Renata Codello, Inspector Roberta Battaglia and the restorer Lucia Bassotto, with the assistance of the curator of the Galleria Nazionale d’arte moderna di Roma, Inspector Mariastella Margozzi, regarding the works by Galileo Chini. This restoration project was dedicated to the founding President of Venetian Heritage, Khalil Rizk.