Renowned Italian sculptor, painter and printmaker Mimmo Paladino has become perhaps the first to turn a private jet into a work of art with the installation of a painted Piaggio P.180 Avanti II aircraft at the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan.

Dubbed the “Cacciatore di Stelle” (Star Hunter), Paladino’s plane will be on display in the famed centre through April 28.

Paladino decorated the turboprop with ancestral symbols, constellations and geometrical designs in homage to the skies in which it travels.

The “Cacciatore di Stelle” is part of the “anthological and personal” exhibition of Paladino’s work hosted by the Palazzo Reale.

The whole exposition dedicated to Paladino takes place along a 500 meters path, which makes it the longest display dedicated to a contemporary artist.

“We are very proud that Master Mimmo Paladino has now been inspired by a Piaggio Aero P.180 aircraft and that he would turn it into a unique work of art,” said Alberto Galassi, CEO of Piaggio Aero Industries.

“The P.180 Avanti has been chosen because it can be considered a work of art itself, as an expression of Italian genius in design and engineering, that’s why this creation is an unprecedented event .”

The “Cacciatore di Stelle ” will be displayed in the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II in Milan from March 28th to April 28th 2011.

Sources: Piaggio – JamesList