Milan's public spaces are about to be beefed up with art, courtesy of the city's first charity 'CowParade'.
A 'CowParade' is an exhibition of life-sized fibreglass cows made by artists, photographers, musicians and designers.
The works are sponsored by local businesses and, after being shown around town for two months, auctioned off for charity.
Organizers of the Milan 2007 CowParade said the aim is to brighten up the city, stimulate creativity and raise money for good causes in a fun, original way.
The 100 cows will hit the streets on April 14.
Among them will be works by Egyptian-born industrial designer Karim Rashid and veteran Milanese designer and architect Alessandro Mendini.
The works' creators should be "inspired by the cultural influences of their respective cities, and moved by their own interpretation of the cow as an art object", organizers said.
The 500 designs submitted to organizers for the Milan event are on show at Milan's Nuova Accademia di Belle Arti (New Academy of Fine Arts).
The original CowParade was held in Zurich in 1998.
It was the brainchild of sculptor Pascal Knapp and his father Walter, who had asked his son to design a standing cow to serve as a three-dimensional canvas for artists participating in a Zurich art exhibition.
The idea and event has proved to be a great success and since then the initiative has become "the world's largest public art event", according to organizers.
CowParades have been staged in 40 cities around the world including Chicago, New York, Barcelona, Florence, Sao Paulo, Moscow and London.
Sponsors cover the costs of making the cows while artists offer their talents for free.
Proud owners of CowParade creations include Elton John, George Bush Sr., Queen Rania of Jordan, Nelson Mandela, Ringo Starr and former Czech president Vaclav Havel.
Up to now CowParades have raised over 20 million euros for charity.
Proceeds from the auction of Milan cows, which takes place on June 25, will go to Champions for Children, a non-profit organization for children in need in developing countries.
Champions for Children was founded by AC Milan and Netherlands soccer star Clarence Seedorf.
