THE WORK WILL BE INSTALLED IN JUNE IN FRONT OF THE UNIVERSITY ENTRANCE. IT IS THE FIRST SCULPTURE DEDICATED TO A WOMAN IN SCIENCE IN ITALY. THE PROJECT IS PROMOTED BY THE DELOITTE FOUNDATION IN COLLABORATION WITH CASA DEGLI ARTISTI.
Eyes toward the sky, hands as if holding an invisible telescope. And that unmistakable half-smile, while her gaze scans the celestial sphere. Milan does not forget the “lady of the stars.” In the year of her centenary, a sculpture dedicated to Margherita Hack will be installed in front of the State University: the first dedicated to a woman in science in Milan and in Italy. The statue will be placed in Largo Richini, right in front of the entrance to the University of Milan. The announcement was made on Wednesday by the Deloitte Foundation, which promotes the project in collaboration with Casa degli Artisti and the Public Art Office of the City of Milan.
The work has been entrusted to Daniela Olivieri, known as Sissi, an artist and professor at the Academy of Fine Arts in Florence, winner of numerous international awards (including the Gotham Prize, the New York Prize, and the Alinovi Prize). Her work won a design competition involving eight artists, both Italian and international. The jury, chaired by Vincenzo Trione, included figures from the worlds of art, science, and civil society.
The sculpture, titled “Sguardo fisico” ("Physical Gaze"), depicts the astrophysicist observing the stars as she emerges from a swirling shape representing a galaxy. Margherita Hack is shown with her arms raised toward the sky, as if holding a telescope—a symbolic gesture and a true invitation to discovery and imagination, expressing the determination and tenacity that allowed her to face challenges in the male-dominated world of science. Hack was, in fact, the first woman to direct the Astronomical Observatory of Trieste.
Casa degli Artisti, which organized the design competition, will support the artist in creating the sculpture, which will be donated by the Deloitte Foundation to the City of Milan and will be inaugurated in June 2022, on the centenary of Margherita Hack's birth.
“We are proud to pay tribute to Margherita Hack, who represents a role model for girls and boys who want to pursue STEM studies today. Through her personal story, she demonstrated that it is possible to overcome barriers that hinder knowledge and personal and societal progress,” says Guido Borsani, president of the Deloitte Foundation.
“For Casa degli Artisti, this is a project of great value. It enabled many collaborations and, above all, sparked a flow of ideas and reflections between art and business, and on the role of art in public space—key aspects of our work. It also allowed us to address crucial issues such as support for the work of artists—and especially female artists—in the art world, where much work remains to be done,” adds Valentina Kastlunger, president of Casa degli Artisti. Until February 20, an exhibition can be visited there, presenting the texts, drawings, renderings, and models of the eight submitted projects.
“The work will be placed in a central and historic space, a place heavily frequented by citizens and students, enriching Milan’s public art heritage with a highly evocative contemporary image of the great scientist—an example and symbol of female excellence in the STEM field,” concludes Tommaso Sacchi, Culture Councillor of the City of Milan.
