Headquarters in Washington and monographic exhibition of the Codex Atlanticus
Confindustria, the General Confederation of Italian Industry, is bringing Leonardo da Vinci to the United States in the occasion of the inauguration of an office in Washington D.C. The initiative is part of the project Confindustria in the world, which has already seen the opening of offices in Kiev and Singapore and aims to extende the Italian Industry system representation.
The aim of Confindustria’s new headquarters in Washington D.C. will be to strengthen transatlantic relations and establish a link between Italian businesses and the American market. In this scenario, Confindustria made the choice to export the symbol of Italian genius, Leonardo da Vinci, to the United States in collaboration with Intesa Sanpaolo, Ita Airways, Il Sole 24 Ore, Dolce & Gabbana, Dompé, Pirelli, and Trenitalia. This decision was made under the curatorship of Monsignor Alberto Rocca, director of the Pinacoteca Ambrosiana.
Leonardo celebrates the talent that sets Italian businesses distinctive. A monographic exhibition, entitled Imagining The Future. Leonardo da Vinci: in The Mind Of An Italian Genius, will open its doors to the public on June 20th at the Martin Luther King JR Memorial Library in Washington D.C. a symbol of social gathering that, with its vocation public, has become the nerve center of the institutions United States. On display until August 20th will be 12 drawings autographs, selected from the 1119 sheets that make up the Codex Atlanticus. The works, kept in Italy at the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, bear witness to the intellectual life of Leonardo for more than 40 years, from 1478 to 1519. The 12 plates originals will be accessible to the public for the first time in the United States to tell the story of Italian enterprise through a collection of futuristic projects in which themes recur that range from research to flight.
Carlo Bonomi, president of Confindustria, said today at the initiative’s presentation at the Biblioteca Ambrosiana in Milan: “The arrival of Confindustria in the United States with the opening of an office in Washington D.C. and the organization of an exhibition of Leonardo’s drawings represents a country operation with industry playing its part as economic diplomacy.” “Confindustria,” he claimed, “returns to playing a role in vital and strategic industries and regions for our nation. Leonardo was our choice because he embodies Italian creativity. Italian industry wants an open culture it must be a bridge that united, avaible to all”.
“Exports of Made in Italy high-quality products known as Bello e Ben Fatto (Bbf) have a value of 122 billion euros, with 104 of those exports going to developed nations and 19 to emerging nations. During the presentation of the report “Esportare la Dolce Vita”, which was hosted by Confindustria in Parma, Barbara Beltrame Giacomello, vice president of Confindustria for internationalization, stated that there is a potential increase of 96 billion euros, of which 74 are geared toward advanced countries and 22 are geared toward emerging countries. “This is an important appointment to enhance the Italian excellence of the “Bello e Ben Fatto” Beltrame Giacomello continued. “The great changes we see today pose many challenges, especially for businesses. Our companies must change to operate in international markets. Exports continue to grow and the performance of our companies have been higher than those of our competitors, Germany and France.”
