VENICE.- On Tuesday, August 30, 2016, Save Venice Inc. celebrated the completion of the restoration of Renaissance artist Paolo Veronese’s organ loft at the church of San Sebastiano. The American non-profit organization Save Venice Inc. is dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice and since 1971 has restored hundreds of works of art in all media. The restoration of the organ loft marks a milestone in Save Venice’s nine-year campaign to restore the church of San Sebastiano, which is almost entirely decorated by Veronese.

Save Venice Chairman Emeritus Randolph H. Guthrie gave remarks in tribute to Julio Mario Santo Domingo, a longtime supporter of Save Venice, and in gratitude to Andrés Santo Domingo and the Santo Domingo family, who were in attendance. Beatrice Santo Domingo, who served on the Save Venice Board for many years, joined her sons Andrés and Alejandro, and their wives, Lauren Santo Domingo, and Charlotte Wellesley, respectively. Lauren has been on the Save Venice Board since 2012.

Inauguration guests included Save Venice Board members Francesca Bortolotto Possati, Larry Davis, Bea Guthrie, John Leopoldo Fiorilla di Santa Croce and Cat Jagger Pollon. Other notables included Paola Marini, the director of the Accademia Galleries, Toto Bergamo Rossi of Venetian Heritage, Matteo Corvino, Sherry Davis, Dr. Shirley Sherwood, Joel Arthur Rosenthal, and Jerome Zieseniss of the French committee dedicated to restoring Venetian art. More than one hundred Venetians, conservators, and art enthusiasts also attended.

Father Gianmatteo Caputo, the director of the office of Fine Arts of the Archdiocese of Venice, welcomed guests and Emanuela Carpani, the Superintendent of Archeology, Fine Arts, and Landscapes of Venice and the Lagoon, and art historian Dr. Amalia Donatella Basso, shared insights about the organ loft’s paintings and the restoration. Guests enjoyed a concert featuring the newly restored organ with a performance of works by Handel and Vivaldi by soprano Liesl Odenweller and organist Nicolo Sari.

Save Venice Inc., based in New York with an office in Venice and chapters in Boston and California, has raised more than $25 million to restore the art and architecture of Venice, Italy. Every year, the Board of Save Venice, including a Projects Committee of renowned international experts in the fields of art, history, conservation, and preservation, selects restoration projects in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Culture based on artistic merit, historical importance, and urgency of need. Save Venice has numerous restorations underway throughout the city, made possible with support from individuals, foundations, and corporations who believe in a universal responsibility to preserve the world’s irreplaceable artistic and cultural treasures found in Venice.