Confindustria inaugurates headquarters in Washington with an exhibition on Leonardo

Listen to the audio version of the article

«We are opening an office in Washington DC because Confindustria has once again become an actor in the geographical and geostrategic areas for our industry. We have opened in Kiev, in Singapore and on June 21st we will open in Washington DC, these are three different geographical areas but all strategic for our country». These are the words of Carlo Bonomi, president of Confindustria, on the occasion of the presentation of the exhibition in the USA on Leonardo’s Codex Atlanticus and of the first headquarters of Confindustria in the US capital.

«We chose Leonardo because he represents Italian genius. We have chosen to represent Italian industry through a person known in the world who has begun to know how, know how to do beautiful, as we entrepreneurs do», added Bonomi, explaining that the exhibition will see «12 tables of the Atlantic Codex exhibited at the Public Library of Washington» and the choice of place, opening the exhibition for free, «is also the symbol that we want a culture open to all, available to all, a bridge that unites. In addition to being a commercial partner, the United States will have elections next year, this is a “country operation” in which industry does its part in economic diplomacy».

The exhibition is called “Imagining The Future. Leonardo da Vinci: In The Mind Of An Italian Genius”, and will open on June 20 in Washington. Confindustria, explained Bonomi, “strongly backed this first monographic exhibition on Leonardo da Vinci’s Atlantic code in the United States, to help spread the entrepreneurial spirit as the engine of economic, social and civil growth in every country”, underlining that the ” exceptional works on display are a concentration of messages and values, to be grasped and interpreted. Nothing arouses universal emotions like art, defuses fear of the new, puts people at the center».

Leonardo, according to the president of Confindustria, is a symbol of Italy, as «large companies are never based on talent alone, and no successful path is linear. Leonardo’s life itself is full of unexpected events and failures, demonstrating that genius alone is not enough: method, the ability to take risks, to involve and excite people are needed. These are the ingredients that distinguish the best companies on the market. Those who have made Italy the second largest manufacturer in Europe, seventh in the world».

The initiative, carried out together with the partner companies (IntesaSanpaolo main partner; ITA Airways official carrier; 24ORE Cultura; Dolce&Gabbana; Dompè; Pirelli; Trenitalia) and with the curatorship of the Veneranda Biblioteca Ambrosiana, through a journey that bears witness to the intellectual life of the Maestro from 1478 to 1519, retraces the themes most studied by Leonardo: mechanics, flight, hydraulics, perpetual motion, development of machines and gears. The philosophy of genius was based on observation and experimentation, which represent the cornerstones of Italian entrepreneurship.