｢Venus of Brenta｣
Francesco Messina (1900-1995)
This piece was created in 1987 as the remake of Alice which he showed at the solo exhibition in Buenos Aires in 1947. He likens a girl playing in the Brenta River, which flows through North Italy, to Venus. The peaceful and casual manner of this piece is not found in those created around 1940 when his skill was prominent enough to fill the works with almost fearful nervousness. So this is a meaningful piece of his old age.
Francesco Messina
Born in Sicily, Italy in 1900 and moved to Genova, north Italy when a child. It was the days of struggle against poverty in his youth. Earning his living as a marble mason of gravestones, he devoted himself to sculpting. His prominent ability was recognized in Naples Biennale in 1921, and he got a stable high evaluation with the series of Boxer which he created from 1930 through 1932.
