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Sculpture
Italia
Giacomo Manzu
Italian. 1908 - 1994
Above 626 Fifth Avenue entrance
During the Second World War, a bas-relief with an undesirable fascist theme was removed from the prominent 626 Fifth Avenue entrance. Twenty years later, in 1965, a group of prominent Italian businessmen presented Rockefeller Center with this plaque as a symbol of Italy and Italian-Americans. The grapevines, leaves and stalks of wheat are entwined to create a central motif, directly linked to the high bold letters spelling out ITALIA. Manzu is most renowned for the work he created a year before this piece—the bronze doors at St. Peter’s Cathedral in the Vatican.
![Italia, a plaque by Giacomo Manzu on display above the entrance to 626 Fifth Avenue.](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/bs9rmafh/main/5a6997707fe2437077ad9422c1412cf7a22a7d4c-1080x1520.jpg?w=1080&h=1520&auto=format)
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