“Recovered treasures. The Art of saving Art” is the title of the exhibition opened yesterday at the United Nations of New York with the aim of showing the innovative commitment of the Carabinieri of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC). The exhibition took place in occasion of its 50th anniversary.
The core of the initiative is represented by fifteen works of art, among which a stele from Palmyra, Greco-Roman urns and finds as well as Renaissance paintings stand out, recovered thanks to the investigations and the International cooperation networks developed by the Task Force.
Supported by the Ministry of foreign affairs, the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and the Carabinieri Armed Force, the exhibition is the first cultural event taking place this year at the United Nations Secretariat Building, as part of the celebration for the 75th anniversary of the UN.
“Safeguarding the cultural heritage is an essential tool for ensuring peace and dialogue between cultures, people, religions and generations. Thanks to its 50-year engagement at the service of the art, the Carabinieri Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) shows clearly how Italy is on the forefront of the fight against the illicit trafficking and in conflict situations and underline our country’s contribution to the maintenance of international peace and security”, stated the Ambassador Zappia, Italian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, who opened the exhibition together with the Secretary-General of the UN, Antonio Guterres, the President of the General Assembly, Tijjani Muhammad-Bande and the Brigadier-General, Roberto Riccardi, at the head of the Carabinieri Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC).
“This exhibition shows how powerful is the international cooperation. […] We face many challenges that jeopardize the protection of our cultural heritage. Due to the different types of threads, there is only one solution: international cooperation”, said the Secretary-General while thanking Italy for its guiding role. Appreciation shared also by the President of the General Assembly, according to whom “recovering a cultural object also means taking a step to the future”.
“The Carabinieri of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) have been the guardians of Venus, the god of beauty for 50 years. During this period, the Task Force recovered about 3 millions of finds. Such results were made possible thanks to a growing international cooperation network”, said General Riccardi.
Founded in 1969, the Carabinieri Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage (TPC) is the first police force in the world, specialized in the protection of cultural heritage and the first one adhering to the UNESCO “Unite4Heritage” campaign for the creation of the Culture Blue Helmets. Safeguarding the cultural heritage is a priority of the Italian foreign policy and represents Italy’s commitment to the maintenance of international peace and security.
