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Raid Pavia–Venice: Bressani crowns the winners with his “Artist Heads”
2 June 2021 @ 8:00 - 2 June 2024 @ 17:00
From art to speed: the “Artist Heads” by Stefano Bressani crown the champions of the Pavia–Venice Raid
In the evocative silence of Venice’s Arsenale Basin — once the beating heart of the Serenissima’s naval power — a different kind of grandeur is celebrated today: that of human gesture, competition, and art.
From 2021 to 2024, artist Stefano Bressani from Pavia has woven together art, sport, and history, creating an award that goes beyond the concept of a trophy: a symbolic artwork, a contemporary icon celebrating humankind and its drive to surpass itself.
A partnership between art and speed
Born from the Pavia–Venice International Motorboat Raid, the oldest and most fascinating inland water race in Italy, the Coppa Teo Rossi di Montelera has been reinterpreted by Bressani through a language that unites speed, beauty, material, and spirituality.
The stages of an artistic journey 2021–2024
2021 – “The cup wears the color of water”
With his Artist Head – Rider’s Head, Bressani inaugurates a new chapter.
2023 – “The cup wears the reflections of water”
For the 70th anniversary of the Raid, Bressani returns with a chrome-finished sculpture that captures and reflects sunlight, like water beneath the propellers.
Though dated 2022 — a delay caused by drought — the work carries a message of resilience: art and passion always find a way to surface, even amid uncertainty.
2024 – “The cup wears the colors of the Italian flag”
For the 71st edition, on Italy’s Republic Day (June 2), the Italian Rider’s Head displays the tricolor hues, set upon a fir-wood base — a symbol of nature, recycling, and sustainability.
An artistic gesture merging athleticism, national pride, and ecological awareness.
The “Sculture Vestite”: a human epic
The Artist Head – Rider’s Head is not merely a prize, but an intimate portrait of humanity. Bressani’s Sculture Vestite evoke emotions, memories, dreams, and visions through textile fragments, vibrant colors, and dynamic geometries.
Through these works, the artist expresses the ordered chaos of competition — that intersection where heart and reason meet.
These awards celebrate not only the fastest but also the indomitable spirits who race against time, fatigue, and uncertainty. Like the Pavia–Venice Raid itself, they unite distant worlds: art and engines, contemplation and adrenaline, elegance and power.
Conclusion: art that unites
From 2021 to 2024, Stefano Bressani has transformed the Pavia–Venice Raid into an aesthetic narrative.
In every Artist Head, one perceives the courage to take risks, to be carried by wind and speed — and by thought.
Because, as Bressani reminds us,
true victory is not only about finishing first, but about leaving an indelible mark.
