A REMARKABLE modern sculpture will be auctioned at the Jewellery and Watch Fair, with half of the proceeds going to the Community Chest of Hong Kong. ''Rebuild the Peace'' was made by Italian maestro Gianni Visentin, who will attend the show this week. The sculpture, composed in bronze, iron, porcelain and clay, has been priced at a minimum of HK$450,000. ''Rebuild the Peace'' stands 90 centimetres tall, and measures 70cm x 45cm at its base. The artist explained the thinking behind his latest work. ''We men of the West and the East are starting out on the path of reconciliation in order to rebuild a world of peaceful co-existence,'' he said. ''Peace will come from our concrete efforts and our commitment which drives us to seek any means to achieve it. ''The dove that is being set free must fly in a sky free of schisms and war, and no longer plagued by falsity or injustice. ''We men of the West and the East will rebuild peace.'' The Italian Government commissioned Visentin to make other special pieces, for visiting heads of state. These works included the ''Black Statue of Liberty'' in 1987 for then-United States president Ronald Reagan. ''Fraternity'' was presented to his successor, George Bush, and then-Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev as a sign of the new political course the pair had ironed out together. Visentin has shown his concern for love, humanity and peaceful co-existence are an integral part of his work. In 1990, he created ''The Mother Earth'' for Singapore. It was bought for S$120,000 (about HK$580,000) and the proceeds donated to the country's Community Chest. About 65 of Visentin's sculptures and bas reliefs will be exhibited at this week's fair. The organisers are appealing for a buyer for ''Rebuild the Peace'' so the Hong Kong Community Chest can benefit.
