L’Arma per l’arte. Aspects of the sacred rediscovered

The exhibition wants to celebrate the fortieth anniversary of the birth of the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, better known as the Carabinieri T.P.C.

Il Nucleo Tutela Patrimonio Artistico, renamed Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage, was founded on 3 may 1969. It was the first specialist police force in the world in this sector, predating the UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property of 1970.

The exhibition aims to celebrate the achievements of this task force responsible for fighting art and antiquities crimes.

The exhibition, set up in the Sala Bianca of the Pitti Palace, is devoted to sacred art, paintings and objects stolen from churches and convents, and in some cases from museums. And it wants to show how this task force has put all its resources and competences at the service of the Church and its vast heritage.

The selected works have been arranged in chronological order and divided into panels, canvases, sculptures and works of applied art, illustrating how the thefts have indiscriminately affected different genres.

The exhibition also aims to illustrate the importance of the protection of cultural heritage, and how it has been implemented over the years in tangible terms. This exhibition wants to educate all visitors on this subject, and make them aware of the work the Carabinieri Command for the Protection of Cultural Heritage has done to protect art and cultural heritage.