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Contemporary art in Vinci
In Vinci, leading figures in contemporary art have over the years given their interpretations of the evergreen heritage of Leonardo in an artistic route incorporated into the urban fabric of the town,

Mario Ceroli. Da Vinci’s Man
Donated to the town in 1987 by the artist himself, the large wooden sculpture standing in the square behind the Conti Guidi Castle took its inspiration from the world-famous drawing held in the Venice Gallerie dell’Accademia, in which Leonardo gives a visual representation of the idea of proportion expressed by Marcus Vitruvius Pollio in his treatise De architectura. The three-dimensional version of the work pays homage to the modernity and dynamism of Leonardo’s drawing, in which Mario Ceroli had already shown his interest back in the 1960s. The statue, which interprets the Renaissance principle of man as the measure of all things, has become the symbol of the town of Vinci and its indissoluble bond with Leonardo.


Nina Akamu . Leonardo’s Horse 
The monument in Piazza della Libertà was inspired by Leonardo’s unfinished project for a colossal statue in honour of Francesco Sforza, on the creation of which Leonardo worked during his first period in Milan. In 1977 Charles Dent – a passionate admirer of the Italian Renaissance – was captivated by the idea of bringing Leonardo’s unsuccessful experiment to fulfilment, and so he set up a special foundation in Pennsylvania for this purpose, the Leonardo da Vinci’s Horse Foundation,   which commissioned Nina Akamu to bring the idea to reality. The finished sculpture was donated to the town in 2001.  


If you have an further curiosity, look this video, The Horse of Leonardo. Sculture by Nina Akamu.
 
Mimmo Paladino. A square for Leonardo
The sculptures in Piazza de’Guidi, carved and inlaid with glass and silver laminate, which has a special scenographic effect at night, introduce the visitor to the Leonardo trail and to the tour of the town. Indeed, it was the concept of a work of great artistic worth, which could entertain a symbolic dialogue with both the museum itself and with Leonardo’s legacy, that led the Vinci administration to organize a competition inviting ideas, that was launched in 2003 and saw the participation of artists such as Anis Kapoor, Ilya Kabavov, Joseph Kosuth, and Jannis Kounnelis, and the winner of which was Mimmo Paladino. Paladino’s work, with its geometric and abstract shapes inspired by the polyhedron, symbol of the Renaissance, recalls Leonardo’s trust in geometry while giving shape, in the medieval heart of Vinci, to an original and evocative contemporary urban space.


Cecco Bonanotte. Leonardo’s baptism
In the Church of the Holy Cross, where Leonardo was christened, the chapel which still holds the fifteenth century font also houses a sculptural cycle on the History of Salvation, made in 2010 by Cecco Bonanotte. The sculptures which make up the cycle stand out because of the refined, light touch and enhanced chromatic sensitivity that Bonanotte manages to infuse into his creations. This work was commissioned by the Parish of Santa Croce and completed thanks to a contribution from the Vinci Administration and the Florence Ente Cassa di Risparmio bank.  
 

Dialogue beyond time and space: Leonardo da Vinci and Qi Baishi. Wu Weishan

An homage to art and its ability to go beyond time and encourage the dialogue between people: all of this is present in the sculpture by Chinese artist Wu Weishan named “Dialogue beyond time and space: the master of Italian art Leonardo da Vinci and the Chinese painter Qi Baishi” donated to the city of Vinci in January 2020.

The work consists of two bronzes depicting Leonardo da Vinci and the father of modern Chinese painting, Qi Baishi, engaged in a sort of hypothetical conversation which surpasses time and geographical distance. The sculpture is located in an external space in front of one of the entrance ways to the Museo Leonardiano, in the site of Palazzina Uzielli. A choice that, besides giving visibility to the statues, places them harmoniously  in the surrounding landscape, even today so similar to the one that was the background of the birth and childhood of Leonardo. 


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