The proceeds of an art auction held on September 22 at the Reali Poste of the Uffizi Gallery will help fund the creation of a 60 x 90cm bas relief of Botticelli’s famous Birth of Venus.
To be made of white resin, the copy will allow the visually impaired to ‘see’ with their hands Botticelli’s masterwork. ‘Because ‘seeing’ with your hands and ‘touching’ with your eyes means breaking down prejudices and false truths in order to freely come into contact with the beauty of the things made by man, and for man,’ explained Loretta Secchi, of the Anteros tactile museum of ancient and modern art in Bologna.
On auction were works of contemporary artists, among them Mimmo Paladino, Ugo Nespolo, Tullio Pericoli, Marco Lodola and Marzia Migliora, which were featured in L’Arte di Amare l’Arte, the most recent temporary exhibit at the Reali Poste. The funds raised will help pay for the bas relief and interpretive panel in Braille.