Madonna deletes all her content on Instagram 1:13
(Reuters) --
The mayor of Amiens, in northern France, has asked Madonna to lend the city a 19th-century painting lost during World War I that he believes may have been bought by the American singer.
The petition aims to help Amiens become the European Capital of Culture.
The painting "Diana and Endymion" by Jérôme-Martin Langlois, depicting the Roman goddess Diana gazing lovingly at the handsome Endymion, was once on display in a museum in Amiens but was lost after Germany bombed the city in 1918.
The French newspaper Le Figaro reported that the painting, or a nearly identical one, went up for sale at auction in New York in 1989, at which Madonna paid $1.3 million for it.
There was no immediate response from a Madonna spokesperson to an emailed request for comment from Reuters.
Madonna announces tour to celebrate her more than four decades in music: these are the dates and how to buy tickets
"Diana and Endymion" by Jérôme-Martin Langlois shows the Roman goddess Diana falling in love with Endymion, a symbol of timeless beauty. (Credit: Sunny Celeste/Alamy)
Amiens, where French President Emmanuel Macron was born, is a candidate to be the European Capital of Culture in 2028.
"We do not question in any way the legal acquisition that you have made, but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting", said the mayoress of Amiens, Brigitte Fouré, in a video posted on Facebook.
advertising
The painting was commissioned by the French King Louis XVIII for the Diane Room in the Palace of Versailles and purchased by the State in 1873.
Fouré said the painting was likely loaned to the Amiens museum by the Louvre before World War I, after which Amiens lost track of it.
Madonna has just announced European dates for her "The Celebration Tour", where she will perform in Paris, less than two hours by train from Amiens, on November 12 and 13, 2023.
Madonna