The art of of Italian artist Mimmo Paladino has taken a fanciful flight with a lift from Italy-based aircraft manufacturer Piaggio Aero Industries.

Mr. Paladino chose one of the firm's private airplanes, a Piaggio P.180 Avanti II, as the "canvas" of his massive work, Cacciatore di Stelle, which is also known as Star Hunter. The artistically enhanced plane is among the featured pieces on display at an exhibition of Paladino's artwork. The ornate, one-man exhibit takes place in Milan, Italy, this month and runs through April 28.

Paladino's Star Hunter will be on display at the Vittorio Emanuele II Galleria in Milan at the grandiose mixed-use luxury property Piazza Reale. The Paladino exhibit, which takes up a 500-meter pathway, is being reported as the longest display ever dedicated to a contemporary artist by the event's host, Palazzo Reale.

"We are very proud that Master Mimmo Paladino has 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 at 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."

In Cacciatore di Stelle (Star Hunter), the underlying theme is communications, as depicted by the usage of ancestral symbols, constellations and geometrical symbols throughout the body of the P. 180 aircraft. According to Paladino, Star Hunter is linked to the Montagna di Sale, or Salt Mountain, and the Duomo di Milano pieces. The Montagana di Sale is another huge work at 37 meters in length.

More than 50 pieces of Mimmo Paladino are on display. He is a member of the Italian Trans-avant-garde Society of Artists, which was founded in 1979 by art critic Achille Bonitio Olivabegan. The movement consists of Italian artists whose works were inspired by the classics of their predecessors.

Piaggio Aero Industries, Banca Popolare dell'Emilia Romagna, and Meliorbanca are the sponsors of the Mimmo Paladino exhibition at the Palazzo Reale.