Eni today will unveil the installation of The Guardians: Hero and Superhero, two 13-foot-high statues created by acclaimed Italian architect and designer Antonio Pio Saracino, at Bryant Park in New York City. Hero is a gift from Italy to the United States and was donated with the support of Eni by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., and the Consulate General of Italy in New York. Superhero is a commissioned project by Equity Office.

The Guardians represent two symbolic protectors of New York City and incorporate the designer's overarching aim to combine digitally generated architectural compositions with a powerful, timeless message of resiliency and innovation. Hero, a 8,000-pound marble reinterpretation of Michelangelo's David, defender of the city of Florence, and its counterpart, Superhero, a 15,000-pound stainless steel icon of the present, are positioned at the north and south ends of the public plaza at 1095 Avenue of the Americas at Bryant Park between 41st and 42nd Streets. Eni is proud to support The Guardians, which will remain on view indefinitely, creating a new landmark in the center of Manhattan.

This installation is part of Eni's support of the Year of Italian Culture in the United States of which Eni is a Corporate Ambassador. Prior to The Guardians, Eni also supported an exhibition of the late Hellenistic masterpiece The Boxer at Rest at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and The La Scala Chamber Orchestra's performance of "Fantasies from Verdi's Operas" at MIT in Boston.

This performance marked the start of the world renowned Chamber Orchestra's U.S. tour and celebrated the renewal of the research partnership between Eni and MIT. The orchestra went on to play in Providence at Brown University, Washington at the Embassy of Italy, New York at Carnegie Hall, and in Miami. Eni is currently a main sponsor of the exhibit Niccolò Machiavelli: The Prince and its Era (1513-2013), previously exhibited in November at the Embassy of Italy in Washington, D.C., and presently on display at The Italian Cultural Institute of New York through January 6, 2014. Supporting cultural initiatives has always been a hallmark for Eni. Eni's motto, "culture of energy, energy of culture," describes its commitment to promoting artistic and cultural events all over the world.