MILAN (WOOD) — It’s a ‘tail’ of two horses in two cities and two reactions.
Frederik Meijer Gardens and Sculpture Park near Grand Rapids is home to Nina Akamu’s The American Horse, towering above visitors at 24 feet tall. An identical behemoth stands in front of a horse racing venue in Milan.
Both are inspired by the work of Leonardo da Vinci, who was commissioned by the duke of Milan in 1482 to build the world’s largest equestrian statue for his father Francesco Sforza. Da Vinci built a clay model, but the full version was never finished because bronze was in short supply, instead needed for cannons during a war with the French.
Is Frederik Meijer Gardens still the best sculpture park in the country?
It was 500 years before the horse would finally be built…