The 9th Italian Language in the World Week, this year devoted to art, science and technology, drew to a close in Los Angeles on 1 December 2009 with a press preview for an exhibition featuring works by Leonardo da Vinci and Bill Viola. The event is organised by the Italian Cultural Institutional in Los Angeles with the High Patronage of the President of the Republic, in collaboration with the city’s Culture Department.
The exhibition includes the L'Angelo incarnato (Angel in the Flesh or Angel Incarnate, from the Royal Collection in Windsor Castle), never before shown on America’s west coast. Also included is the Foglio del Teatro (Sheet of the Theatre), once a part of the Codex Atlanticus, along with two fragments removed in the late 16th century and finally reunited, after 400 years, with their original folio. These drawings were shown for the first time in North America two years ago at Chicago’s Science Museum and more recently at Palazzo Venezia, in Rome. Completing the exhibition is an installation by video artist Bill Viola entitled The Last Angel.
Art historian Carlo Pedretti, who played a key role in enabling American collector Armand Hammer to buy the famous Leicester Codex, later purchased by Bill Gates, also presented his two-language publication, Leonardo da Vinci L’Angelo Incarnato & Salai, Cartei & Bianchi Edizioni, 2009. Both personalities received the IIC Lifetime Achievement Award, celebrating Italian excellence throughout the world.