Safeguarding Venice's History

Save Venice was established in response to the serious damage caused by the November 1966 floods – the highest tide in Venice during the last century. More than thirty international committees were formed under the administrative umbrella of UNESCO to preserve the cultural heritage of Venice. Originally known as the Venice Committee of the International Fund for Monuments, Save Venice became an independent, charitable organization in 1971.

Today based in New York City with an office in Venice and chapters in Boston and California, Save Venice was founded by an extraordinary trio from Massachusetts: John McAndrew (1904–78), Professor of Art History at Wellesley College; his wife, Betty Bartlett McAndrew (1906–86); and Sydney J. Freedberg (1914–97), Chairman of the Department of Art at Harvard and Chief Curator Emeritus of the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Their successors, now spread across the United States and the globe, have made Save Venice the largest and most active committee conserving the cultural patrimony of Venice.

We are often asked why Americans should help restore art works belonging to the Italian government. The answer is that the Italians only hold these treasures in trust for all of us who descend from the Renaissance, and it is our shared responsibility to do what we can to help.

When we came to the New World, we did not renounce our cultural heritage. It is an essential part of who we are. It is one of the title deeds to our civilization. We do not want to see it deteriorate and disappear.
Per capita, Italy spends ten times more to preserve its patrimony than the United States. Its restorers are the most skillful in the world. They are extraordinarily dedicated to their work. They are tireless workers. They are paid a pittance. In Venice, Save Venice knows and loves them all.

Yet, there are too many treasures residing in Italy for the Italians to protect. The cost is simply too great. The Old World must look to the New for help. If it is not forthcoming, we will all see the treasures of our heritage fade. If they are gone, we will remember them as they were, but our children and theirs will only see them in books.

When we look on Titian’s The Presentation of the Virgin, we know that as long as that painting lives, the human spirit will never die. The Dark Ages are never far from us so it is up to all of us to preserve the light.

– Randolph H. Guthrie, Chairman Emeritus