Rome, 22 November 2017. Today, in Sala Spadolini, the prestigious home of Italy’s Ministry of Culture, Minister Dario Franceschini presided over the 2017 Corporate Art Awards ceremony. Salvatore Ferragamo received the Art Bonus award for its restoration of Neptune’s Fountain in Piazza della Signoria, Florence, which will be brought back to its original splendour thanks to the Florentine fashion company’s generous donation of € 1.5 million over three years (2016-18). The work is slated for completion by the end of 2018 and will not only restore the marble and bronze parts of the fountain, but its plant and systems as well.

“This is certainly one of the largest restorations to be carried out with the Art Bonus tax incentive in Italy in recent years,” announced Luca Desiata, Corporate Art Professor at LUISS Business School in Rome and curator of the 21st Century Patrons of the Arts project. “A public and private partnership will restore one of the most well-known symbols of Renaissance Florence to its original beauty and serve as an example of how public/private synergies and teamwork can enhance the country’s artistic heritage.”

“I like to think of our support for Florentine cultural activities and the restoration of its architectural assets as a virtuous partnership between the public and private sectors, as well as a way for our family to show its gratitude to this city and celebrate the deep bond that my father forged with Florence, which lives on today,” explained Ferruccio Ferragamo, Chairman of the Salvatore Ferragamo Group. “All that we have done over the years is our way of thanking Florence for what it has given us.”

The Corporate Art Awards are part of 21st Century Patrons of the Arts, an initiative developed by pptArt® with the patronage of the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and in partnership with LUISS Business School, Confindustria, the Italian Bank Association and Museimpresa to award positive examples of corporate, institutional and private-sector patronage of the arts on an international scale. Now in its second year, this initiative has attracted the interest of the world’s leading international brands, restoring Italy to its historic position as a global capital of arts patronage. Click on the following links for the complete list of participants:
www.pptart.net/participants2017, www.pptart.net/institutional