The huge version of the “Venus of the Rags” set up a couple of weeks ago in Piazza Municipio in Naples, Italy, was destroyed by a fire at 5:30 this morning. It is not yet clear whether it is an accident or an act of arson.

The mayor of the city, Gaetano Manfredi, said he felt the Piedmontese artist “very embittered and hurt, but also with great hope. His work [...] starts from the concept of regeneration,” he continued. “He told me that, in the end, even this violent act must be interpreted by us as a moment of regeneration. So we will do: the structure remained intact, so we will rebuild the installation”.