On July 6th, the Florentine painter Elisabetta Rogai’s newest artwork, Two Lions for Two Republics, was exhibited to the public at Ca’ Sagredo on the Grand Canal in Venice – a tribute to Florence and the Serenissima through 28 artworks.

The exhibition takes place on the occasion of the 60th International Art Biennale, presenting the Florentine artist’s new project dedicated to the two extraordinary cities, Venice and Florence. The opening of the exhibition was part of Ars Pace’s event entitled “Florence-Venice: Peace in Art,” which sees the role of art as an instrument of peace, the leitmotif of a journey that began in Florence, continuing in Tuscany and ending in the Serenissima.

One has wings and proudly displays the open pages of the Gospel of St. Mark; the other is seated and rests its right paw on a shield bearing the image of a red lily on a white field. The first stands in St. Mark’s Square in Venice; the other dominates the Arengario of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence’s Piazza della Signoria.

Rogai has chosen an ancient symbol, emblem, and historical banner of the two glorious Republics: The Lion of St. Mark for Venice and the Marzocco for Florence. In this new cycle of largely unpublished works, even the lions themselves seem to show signs of an onslaught of visitors that is no longer sustainable. As a contemporary artist, she addresses a theme of sustainability to share a sense of responsibility for World Heritage to be protected and to pass on to future generations.

The exhibition includes 28 pictorial works: 20 canvases (including five painted on denim, the fabric of jeans), and eight white Carrara marble chips. Curators Olga Mugnaini, a journalist, and Federica Rotondo, CEO of Once Extraordinary Events agency, were present. The exhibition can be visited until August 11th, 2024.

Once Extraordinary Events, in the person of the CEO Federica Rotondo, was the exhibition’s curator and event coordinator.