Milan, this is what the statue of Margherita Hack will look like. Sissi's design chosen

Margherita Hack will therefore have her own statue. It will be installed in June in Largo Richini, in a central and historic area of Milan. It will be made in bronze by Bologna-based artist Daniela Olivieri (aka Sissi) and is the first sculpture dedicated to a woman of science in Milan and Italy. The project to create a statue dedicated to Margherita Hack - astrophysicist, academic, brilliant popularizer of science in the 20th century - is promoted by Fondazione Deloitte in collaboration with Casa degli Artisti and with the support of the Municipality of Milan - Ufficio Arte negli Spazi Pubblici.

The sculpture, entitled Physical Gaze, will depict Margherita Hack intent on stargazing as she emerges from a vortex depicting a galaxy. The astrophysicist is depicted as she raises her arms upward, simulating a telescope: an emblematic gesture and a true invitation to discovery and imagination, declaring the determination and tenacity that enabled her to face the challenge with the scientific world, at the time dominated by male figures. Casa degli Artisti, which curated the ideas competition, will support the artist in the creation of the work and follow its installation in the public space. The work will be donated by Fondazione Deloitte to the City of Milan and will be inaugurated in June 2022, on the centenary of Margherita Hack’s birth. Fondazione Deloitte will be responsible for routine and extraordinary maintenance for years to come.

Sissi’s work won an ideas competition in which a total of eight Italian and international artists participated: in fact, inaddition to Sissi, they include Chiara Camoni, Giulia Cenci, Zhanna Kadyrova, Paola Margherita, Marzia Migliora, Liliana Moro, and Silvia Vendramel.

The selection jury, chaired by academician and art critic Vincenzo Trione, met last November and, after an intense and thorough discussion, given the remarkable quality of all the projects submitted, chose the winning project. The jury was composed of personalities from the world of art, science, and civil society: Guido Borsani (President Deloitte Foundation), Fabio Pompei (CEO Deloitte Italia), Alessandro Oldani (Conservator of Cultural Heritage at the Office of Art in Public Spaces of the Municipality of Milan), Benedetta Tobagi (journalist and writer), Diletta Huyskes (researcher in gender & technology ethics), Sara Sesti (professor of Mathematics and member of the “Women and Science” Association), Anna Wolter (astrophysicist researcher at INAF-Osservatorio Astronomico di Brera), Simona Cerrato (physicist and science popularizer, collaborator of Margherita Hack), Alberto Salvadori (director of Fondazione ICA Milano, member of the Scientific Committee of Casa degli Artisti), Giovanna Amadasi (Head of Public and Educational Programs), Chiara Costa (Programming Manager Fondazione Prada), Milovan Farronato (critic and independent curator), Alessandro Danovi (Academician and financial director of Casa degli Artisti). The texts, drawings, renderings and maquettes of all 8 projects that entered the competition are on display until Feb. 20 at the Casa degli Artisti exhibition space.

The statements, “We are proud to be able to pay tribute to Margherita Hack who, as a great internationally respected scientist, is a role model for girls and boys today who want to pursue studies in STEM fields. Through her personal story, she has shown that it is possible to overcome limitations that hinder personal knowledge and progress and that of society as a whole,” commented Guido Borsani, President of Fondazione Deloitte.

“For Casa degli Artisti,” added Valentina Kastlunger, President of Casa degli Artisti, “this is a project of great value. It has made it possible to activate multiple collaborations and above all to start that circle of thought, of relations between art and business, and of reflection on the role of art in public space that represent some of the cornerstones of our work. It is a project that has made it possible to address crucial issues such as supporting the work of artists and especially women artists, women, in the art world, where there is still much to be done. As a place of residence, an art hub, a space open to the city, Casa degli Artisti was happy to join Fondazione Deloitte and the City of Milan in a collaboration that proved fruitful and a harbinger of new future initiatives.”

Tommaso Sacchi, Councillor for Culture of the Municipality of Milan, said, “Placing the monument dedicated to Margherita Hack in front of the State University increases the already high symbolic value of this operation, which, we recall, has seen the artistic and design contribution of several internationally known artists. The work will be placed in a central and historic space, a place of great passage of citizens and students, going to enrich the heritage of Milanese public art with a very evocative contemporary image of the great scientist, an example and symbol of female excellence in STEM fields.”

Fondazione Deloitte’s project is part of a journey that began two years ago with the establishment of the Observatory on STEM subjects, which was created with the aim of helping to fuel the national debate among universities, government, institutions and companies on the need to stimulate young people to pursue a course of study in a field such as STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics), which is increasingly strategic for our country and beyond.

Milan, this is what the statue of Margherita Hack will look like. Sissi's design chosen

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