Which famous Japanese artist created this sculpture, inspired in part by Leonardo da Vinci?

In Grand Rapids, Michigan in the U.S. is ‘The American Horse’, by the famed Japanese sculptor, Nina Akamu (born 1955). Her sculptor was inspired in part, by ‘Leonard’s Horse’ (also known as ‘Gran Cavallo’), a clay model, he was commissioned to do but never finished for the Duke of Milan in the late 15th century.

‘The American Horse’ project was championed by Fred Meijer in the late 1990s, resulting in two casts of the 24-foot (7.3 m) outdoor monument. In addition to inspiration from Leonardo da Vinci, Akamu was also inspired by her study of equine imagery and a study of horses.

Born in Midwest City, Oklahoma, she moved to Japan at the age of 10 where she spent her free time riding horses at an international English riding academy. Moving back to the U.S., she completed her Bachelors of Fine Arts in painting from the Maryland Institue College of Art in Baltimore, Maryland. She discovered sculpture during her last year of college and adopted it as her passion.

Moving to Italy, she spent 5 years studying Italian Renaissance works of art. In 1996, she moved to Beacon, New York to work on the Da Vinci Horse project. She created a life-sized model for the Leonardo de Vinci’s Horse project after extensive studies of his drawings and manuscripts.

The ‘American Horse’ stands with impressive power in other places. Besides Grand Rapids, one is situated in Pennsylvania and one resides in Italy. An identical 24-foot (7.3 m) sculpture was created in 1999 as a gift to Milan.