Piazza Attias, "A" by Renato Spagnoli
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Piazza Attias, "A" by Renato Spagnoli

When art lends new life to urban environments

Renato Spagnoli worked on the letter A for over 40 years, in the belief that, by removing an object from its context, it takes on another value, including the symbols of human communication.    

The “A” can therefore take on different meanings, such as love, friendship, affection (amore, amicizia, affetto in Italian). The installation was placed in Piazza Attias during its redevelopment, thanks to a natural symbolic association with the Livorno artist's work.   

At the time, Spagnoli declared: «I dedicate the installation to my fellow citizens, the curious people of the world, and those who manage to ponder in front of small things that often seem insignificant, like a letter of the alphabet” (Il Tirreno, 9 December 2011).   

The work, placed in a central area between Livorno's main shopping streets and the nearby Modigliani home and Pietro Ciampi’s birthplace, also shows the signs of decline behind it, in an area that probably needed more redevelopment work.