A sculpture of the Queen's head made from one million crystals is coming to London

A sculpture of the Queen’s head made from one million crystals is set to be installed outside Hyde Park in honour of the 92-year-old monarch.

The artwork, by Italian artist Matt Marga, will sit at just over five metres high on a plinth on the southernmost traffic island in Park Lane, half a mile from Buckingham Palace. Each crystal is hand-cut and individually placed in a toughened glass sheet.

Plans for the temporary structure were approved by Westminster councillors last night. It will replace Bushra Fakhoury’s sculpture Dunamis, which was installed in 2013.

Mr Marga, represented by the Ventique Gallery in Chelsea, originally produced the work to commemorate the Queen’s 92nd birthday in April.

​Gioia Bernardi, a gallery assistant at Ventique, said: “The diffraction of light through the crystals generates a colourful, shimmering reflection when hit by the sun or artificial lights.”

Gotz Mohindra, Westminster council’s chairman of planning, said: “We want our public spaces to showcase the country’s distinctive art. Matt Marga’s sculpture will be a welcome addition.”