The monument to the Partisan Woman at the Biennale Gardens in Venice

To celebrate the Republic Day in Italy one cannot forget about the partisan movement and the monument in Venice that celebrates women who contributed to the fall of fascism in Italy.

This is the monument to the Partisan Woman, designed by Augusto Murer (Falcade 1922 – Padova 1985) in 1961. It is a bronze sculpture representing a reclining figure of a partisan woman.

Carlo Scarpa, who designed the basement, imagined that the best and most spontaneous way to look at the sculpture would be achieved by positioning it at a lower height than the observer. The chosen solution was to build a floating metal and concrete caisson whose surface is covered with bronze sheets. The artist's bronze lies on the sheets so that the status seems to be resting on the water surface. From the edge of the Riva dei Giardini passers-by can access the monument area through an apt opening in a brick wall.

Unfortunately, the technology and inadequate materials at the time, together with the increased wave motion, deprived the sculpture - almost from the very beginning – of its planned ability to float. However, in coincidence with the centenary of Carlo Scarpa's birth in 2009, the Municipality proceeded to perform a complete renovation of the monument and restored it to its former aspect.