[1/4] Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto's 'Venus of the Rags' is displayed in Piazza Municipio before being destroyed in a fire, in Naples, Italy July 1, 2023. REUTERS/Ciro De LucaROME, July 12 (Reuters) - An open-air installation of "Venus of the Rags", one of the most famous works by Italian contemporary artist Michelangelo Pistoletto, was destroyed by an arson attack in Naples, Mayor Gaetano Manfredi said on Wednesday. The "Venus of the Rags", a symbol of the Arte Povera movement which counts Pistoletto among its leading members, 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. Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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Persons: Michelangelo Pistoletto's, Ciro De Luca ROME, Michelangelo Pistoletto, Gaetano Manfredi, Manfredi, Venus, Adnkronos, Pistoletto, Raissa Kasolowsky Organizations: REUTERS, Arte, Thomson Locations: Italian, Piazza Municipio, Naples, Italy, Piazza del