How did the Louvre prepare the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition?

A monographic exhibition of works by Leonardo da Vinci is being held in Paris until February 24, 2020. How did the museum prepare for the most anticipated exhibition of the year?

10 years of preparation

Vincent Delevan and Louis Frank prepared the project for 10 years. For any curator and art historian, such an exhibition will be the project of a lifetime. However, in the case of Leonardo da Vinci, the task of making a monographic exhibition is complicated, firstly, by the boundless fame of the master, who has written about the artist! Secondly, the body of paintings attributed to the artist consists of approximately 17 works, of which only 3 paintings are all world experts unanimously attributed to Leonardo's brushes. All three works are in the Louvre (Mona Lisa, Saint Anne with the Madonna and Child Christ and Madonna of the Rocks). Thus, the Louvre houses Leonardo's most significant artistic works.

What is the curatorial approach? Imagine the creative evolution of a master. Until the last moment, it was unclear which museums would present which works, so the exhibition concept was constantly being adjusted. The State Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg decided to lend the “Benois Madonna” to the Louvre a week before the start of the exhibition. Ironically, on the eve of Brexit, it was Great Britain that provided the most works by the great master.

leonardo da vinci exhibition — Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre, Copyright to the owner

Italy vs France. The fight for Leonardo da Vinci

Since the time of Napoleon's campaigns, when the Italian collection of the Louvre was noticeably replenished due to the military conquests of the French commander, Italians have been “jealous” of Leonardo da Vinci for France. In 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen by an Italian who allegedly wanted to restore justice and return Mona Lisa to her homeland. However, the painting was located or, according to another version, was completed by Leonardo in France, when he was in the service of the French king Francis I. “Mona Lisa” was kept in the artist’s studio, accordingly, it was in his property, was not sold by the king, and did not go to property to Salai. Leonardo’s “Vitruvian Man” finally came to the exhibition at the Louvre after protests from the Italian public and the scientific community. The disputes even went to court, however, the court of the province of Veneto considered the arguments calling for leaving the drawing in Italy insufficient, and he went to Paris. Positive agreements were reached between the governments of France and Italy on the Italian side also providing the Louvre with 4 drawings by Leonardo from the Uffizi and one painting from Parma. Still, Leonardo’s legacy is included in the treasury of world culture. Litigation between countries will continue: exhibitions are coming to mark the XNUMXth anniversary of the death of Raphael Santi.

Louvre Vitruvian Man — “Vitruvian Man” at the Leonardo da Vinci exhibition at the Louvre, Copyright to the owner

Confirmation of the attribution of "Salvator Mundi" by Leonardo da Vinci to the Louvre

The owner (presumably an Arab sheikh) has not yet provided the most expensive painting in the world, “Savior of the World,” for an exhibition at the Louvre. But museum workers included the painting in the catalog and expressed their readiness to rebuild the exhibition if the “Savior of the World” came to France. Thus, criticism of the painting's attribution does not stand up to the institutional weight of the Louvre, which thus confirmed the "new" Leonardo and included the painting in the catalogue.

Examination of paintings by Leonardo da Vinci

Especially for the exhibition, the Louvre conducted a technical and technological examination of Leonardo’s works. They were subjected to X-ray, infrared, ultraviolet and chemical analysis. Visitors to the exhibition can see what pigments the master used. There is also a section in the exhibition dedicated to copying an artist's work and how stylistically the original and the follower's work differ stylistically. Visitors will be able to understand Leonardo's painting world and how he created his works. After all, there are about 60 copies of the Mona Lisa in the world, one of which is kept in the Hermitage, and some circulate on the art market.