Without pre-order, nothing works. If you want to see the exhibition "Leonardo da Vinci" at the Louvre in Paris from 24th October to 24th February, you have to get a ticket for a certain time frame in advance. Despite the fall and winter time, the museum anticipates a rush of hundreds of thousands of art lovers from all over the world.
The show is intended as the absolute highlight of this year's celebration of the 500th anniversary of the death of the universal genius. The organizers promised months ago "a unique collection of works of art, which only the Louvre can bring together". The declared goal is to present "as many as possible" of the up to 17 paintings attributed safely or by their owners to the Italian Renaissance artist. Such a masterpiece of art history was achieved three years ago by the Prado in Madrid. He succeeded in uniting as many as 21 of the maximum 27 proven paintings by Hieronymus Bosch in an exhibition on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of his death.
The Louvre can only dream of this so far: According to SPIEGEL research, Paris received numerous cancellations at the request for loans. The museum runs the risk of having to build the exhibition largely around those six paintings that are hanging in the museum anyway: the "Mona Lisa", four more pictures Leonardo painted and one ("Bacchus") from his workshop.
Extremely sensitive pigments
There are three reasons for the reluctance of the other museums: competitive events, political strife and concerns about preserving priceless works. After an agreement between the ministries of culture in Rome and Paris, the Leonardo paintings in Italian state property were to be awarded to Paris. In return, France agreed to provide works by contemporary Leonardo in 2020 on the occasion of the 500th anniversary of Raphael's death. The now broken coalition of Lega and five stars rejected the agreement. Ex-Secretary of State Lucia Borgonzoni proclaimed: "To make all these works available to the Louvre means pushing Italy to the edge of commemoration."
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Leonardo da Vinci: The struggle for the super-paintingsNow the Social Democrats are again governing, under whose participation the agreement was concluded. For weeks, the ministries of culture negotiated before announcing the agreement on Tuesday. The National Gallery of Parma thus provides the sketchy painting of a girl's head, the Galleria dell 'Accademia in Venice Leonardo's most famous drawing, the "Vitruvian Man". The Uffizi Gallery lends original drawings and copies of Leonardo paintings to Paris. But her three paintings "The Baptism of Christ" (involving Leonardo), "The Annunciation" and the "Adoration of the Magi from the East" (unfinished) will not leave Florence.
The government in Rome bowed to the concerns of art historians and restorers. The director of the Uffizi, Eike Schmidt, said in SPIEGEL's request in January: "A journey across Europe or even within Italy would be unreasonable for these extremely delicate wooden panels, and any fluctuation in humidity could cause pigments to dissolve within minutes and crumble. "
The German reminiscent of the uprising among experts, as "The Annunciation" in 2007, "in the hope of greater economic cooperation," as Schmidt formulated, had been awarded to Japan. At that time, the Uffizi had to submit to the state hierarchy, "he said. As a result of the debate, in 2009 the painting was placed on the list of works of art that can not even leave their museum. But even then he emphasized as a sign of goodwill: "We are open to send drawings to the Louvre."
The Alte Pinakothek in Munich is the only museum in Germany that has a painting by Leonardo. "We would have liked to have sent our 'Madonna with the Carnation' to this fantastic exhibition," it said. "Unfortunately, this is not possible due to conservational reasons", as it is "a very fragile wooden plaque". The nature of the painting layer was "extremely fragile and absolutely no transport". The work was therefore never borrowed.
"Lady with the Ermine" is not allowed to travel anymore
The Czartoryski Museum in Krakow has provided its "Lady with the Hermlin" in the past exhibitions in Madrid, Berlin and London. Since 2016 the painting belongs to the Polish state. "Then it was decided that the priceless work is no longer allowed to travel, because that would hurt her," says spokeswoman Marta Bosak.
Especially the French could say that the hermitage in St. Petersburg recently sent its two paintings, which Leonardo credits, to Italy. In June, the "Madonna Benois" in the provincial town of Fabriano was to be admired on the occasion of a UNESCO "Creative Cities" conference - 35 years after its only exhibition to date in Italy. The picture was then displayed in Perugia for four weeks. Inquiries as to whether the work will go to Paris did not answer the Hermitage. What is certain, however, is that her "Madonna Litta", designed by Leonardo and executed by his pupil Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, will be exhibited from 8 November 2019 to February 2020 in Milan - parallel to Paris.
The "Madonna Litta" was on display in London's acclaimed Leonardo exhibition in late 2011. Even the Vatican, Krakow and the Louvre awarded paintings at that time, which led to the sensation that the two versions of the "Rock Grotto Madonna" from Paris and London were to be admired in one room. The National Gallery did not want to be "on loan for the future". However, between 9th November and 12th January the museum is planning an exhibition entitled "Leonardo Experience a Masterpiece". It shows in detail examinations of a painting, which is then to be seen even in the last room of the show: the Felsengrottenmadonna.
