LEONARDO ICON SCULPTURE

A permanent sculpture in the heart of Milan, The Leonardo Icon was designed as a tribute to Leonardo da Vinci and the breakthroughs he made during his sojourn in Milan. The Icon stands as a 14-foot signpost directing attention toward the Biblioteca Ambrosiana, the famed library that can lay claim to having the world’s most extensive collection of manuscripts by da Vinci. Partly inspired by a map of Milan drawn by Leonardo in his Codex Atlanticus, the Icon both compliments and contrasts with the Baroque architecture of the library and the piazza in front of it. In tribute, a map showing the spot where the library is located as the very center of the Renaissance city has been reproduced in copper-colored paint on the sculpture’s steel base, along with the names of those involved in its creation, such as Daniel and Lev Libeskind, incised in the sculpture’s based in the traditional Renaissance manner.