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☆ The Mona Lisa was set in this surprising Italian town, geologist claims
▼ + stars: | 2024-05-17 | by ( Leah Dolan | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

CNN —Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa — one of the most famous paintings in the world — is shrouded in mystery; from questions around the figures identity, to her puzzling, enigmatic expression. Now, at least one of the artwork’s secrets has been revealed, according to a geologist based in Italy. Ann Pizzorusso, who is both a geologist and an art historian specializing in Leonardo and the Renaissance era, believes she has deduced the location of the Mona Lisa using her geological expertise. “Because when the glacier moved it scoured out certain pieces of land.”Pizzorusso believes Lake Como, the glacial lake dating back around 10,000 years, is in the background of the Mona Lisa. “We don’t know who (Mona Lisa) is, some believe she was a rich Tuscan merchant’s wife,” she said, referring to a popular historical theory that proposes the figure was based on Italian noblewoman Lisa Gherardini.

Persons: CNN — Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa —, Ann Pizzorusso, Leonardo, Mona Lisa, Pizzorusso, “, ”, VCG Wilson, Mona, there’s, ” Pizzorusso, titoslack, “ Botticelli, Michelangelo, Lisa Gherardini, Said, “ I’m Organizations: CNN, Italy —, Como Locations: Italy, Lecco, Lake Como, Windsor , London, Bobbio, Arezzo, Tuscany

Two climate activists on Tuesday targeted Botticelli’s masterpiece “The Birth of Venus” hanging at Florence’s Uffizi Gallery, attaching images of recent flood damage in the Tuscany region on the protective glass. Authorities immediately cleared the room and the two protesters were brought by carabinieri for questioning. Under a new law, the protesters risk up to six months of jail time. The protest materials were easily removed from the glass without leaving a trace, and the room where the painting hangs was reopened within 15 minutes. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Persons: Venus Organizations: Associated Press Locations: Tuscany

☆ ‘Botticelli Drawings’ Review: A Master Painter’s Skills on Paper
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-06 | by ( Cammy Brothers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Study for ‘Portrait of a Lady (Simonetta Vespucci)’ (c. 1480) Photo: Ashmolean MuseumSan FranciscoIn the popular imagination, Sandro Botticelli (c. 1445-1510) is associated with ethereal nymphs, idealized nudes, and blond beauties, thanks largely to the ubiquity of his most famous paintings, “Primavera” and “Birth of Venus.” But as a stunning new show at San Francisco’s Legion of Honor museum establishes, he is a more complex, intellectual, conflicted and varied artist than superficial familiarity might suggest.

Persons: Simonetta Vespucci, ’, Sandro Botticelli, “ Organizations: Ashmolean Museum San Francisco, “ Primavera, Francisco’s Legion

☆ ‘Lost’ Botticelli masterpiece worth $109 million found in home in southern Italy
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Jack Guy | Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

Rome CNN —A painting by the 15th-century master Sandro Botticelli, recorded as missing since the 1980s, has been found at a home in southern Italy. The depiction of the Virgin Mary and infant Christ was discovered in a home in the town of Gragnano, near Naples, according to the Carabinieri Cultural Heritage Protection Unit of Naples. The painting by the artist most famous for “The Birth of Venus” and “Primavera” is estimated by Italian authorities to be worth at least €100 million ($109 million). “The family continues to hold the title of the work, which, however, will be preserved in a museum,” Croce added. The Somma family declined to comment when contacted by CNN.

Persons: Rome, Rome CNN —, Sandro Botticelli, Virgin Mary, Christ, Venus ”, Santa Maria la Carità, Massimiliano Croce, Croce, ” Croce, “, Botticelli Organizations: Rome CNN, Protection Unit of Naples, Primavera, Roman Catholic Church, CNN, Cultural Locations: Italy, Gragnano, Naples, Neapolitan, Santa, State

☆ Airbnb Is Conquering Italy. One City Is Fighting Back.
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Eric Sylvers | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

FLORENCE, Italy—The city of Botticelli’s “Venus” and Michelangelo’s “David” is now the city of Airbnb . The spread of short-term rentals has pushed up rents and priced out residents. Shops that once served locals have become rarities. Lockboxes for keys sit next to the doorbells at many buildings’ entrances.

Persons: Michelangelo’s “ David ” Locations: FLORENCE, Italy, Botticelli’s, Airbnb

☆ A missing Botticelli masterpiece worth $109 million was hanging in an Italian family's home for decades
▼ + stars: | 2023-12-01 | by ( Grace Eliza Goodwin | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

A Botticelli masterpiece presumed missing for over 50 years had been hanging in an Italian family's home. Despite the painting being entrusted to the family for safekeeping, authorities had somehow marked it missing. download the app Email address Sign up By clicking “Sign Up”, you accept our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy . AdvertisementA Botticelli masterpiece reported missing for over half a century was found hiding in plain sight: hanging in an Italian family's home. The Italian authorities estimate the lesser-known painting, one of Botticelli's last, to be worth $109 million, according to the outlet.

Persons: Botticelli, Virgin Mary, —, Sandro Botticelli, Botticelli's, Primavera, Santa Maria la Carità, Massimiliano Croce, Croce Organizations: Service, Carabinieri Command, Cultural Heritage, CNN, Roman Catholic Church, Guardian Locations: Italian, Gragnano, Naples, Santa Maria

☆ At 40, J. Crew Shakes Off a Midlife Crisis
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-22 | by ( Maggie Bullock | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +2 min

Since 2021, when her bosses asked her to make her Instagram account public, her following has gone from under 1,000 to 148,000. She’s not on TikTok, yet a search of her name there pulls up 2.2 million views. The selfies Ms. Gayot casually shoots in the full-length mirror of her office of herself wearing J. Crew with enviable ease — topped by her trademark mane of Botticelli curls — are starting to fill that Jenna Lyons cult-of-personality void without getting exactly personal, as Ms. Lyons is wont to do. Ms. Gayot started her new job in the very early days of the pandemic, pregnant with her second child and coming into the office daily, long before a vaccine was on the horizon.

Persons: She’s, Gayot, —, Jenna Lyons, Lyons, “, ”

☆ Arts Calendar: Happenings for the Week of November 12
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-12 | by ( Wsj Arts In Review Staff | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Sandro Botticelli’s ‘Head of a Woman in Near Profile Looking Down to the Left’ (c. 1468-70) Photo: Christ Church, OxfordFilm• “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes” (Nov. 17): The prequel to the ultra-popular young-adult dystopian series, based on Suzanne Collins ’s book, is a coming-of-age tale that once again sees youthful citizens competing to survive. Francis Lawrence (“I Am Legend”) directs a cast that includes Tom Blyth , Rachel Zegler , Josh Andrés Rivera , Hunter Schafer , Peter Dinklage , Jason Schwartzman and Viola Davis . • “Fallen Leaves” (Nov. 17): Two lonely, underemployed singles in Helsinki meet and find romance and a chance at self-improvement through their relationship in Aki Kaurismäki ’s tragicomedy, which won the Cannes Jury Prize.

Persons: Sandro Botticelli’s ‘, •, Suzanne Collins ’, Francis Lawrence, “, Tom Blyth, Rachel Zegler, Josh Andrés Rivera, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Viola Davis, Aki Kaurismäki Organizations: Church , Oxford, Helsinki, Cannes

☆ Harmonia Rosales’ ‘Master Narrative’ exhibition reimagines Renaissance art
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-17 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +14 min

A selection of her work in this vein is currently on display in the exhibition “Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” at the Spelman College Museum of Fine Art in Atlanta. At the core of Rosales’ art is the idea that “storytelling is a journey of personal discovery and a reclamation of one’s cultural identity." Elon Schoenholz/Harmonia RosalesAcross 20 oil paintings and a large-scale sculptural installation, Rosales’ work challenges viewers to consider the universality of creation through a Black diasporic lens. Rosales' work demonstrates her journey towards empowerment and self-love, with figures in her artworks painted with features she used to dislike about herself. Every one of these (artworks) tells my stories.”“Harmonia Rosales: Master Narrative” is on display at the Spelman College Museum of Art in Atlanta through December 2.

Persons: Adam, ” Sandro Botticelli’s “, Venus ”, Leonardo da Vinci’s, Harmonia Rosales, Barbara, Rosales, Elon, Rosales ’, Olodumare, orishas —, Lucy Garrett, it’s what’s, ” Rosales, “, “ I’m, ”, Liz Andrews, —, Andy Warhol, ’ ” Rosales, ” “, Harmonia Rosales “, I’m, Regla, Harmonia, Black Mary, Virgin Mary, Helen Morales, ” Lucy Garrett, ” Morales, Yemaya, “ They’ve, Angelou, Saint Bartholomew Organizations: CNN, Spelman College Museum of Fine Art, University of California, European, Masters, Spelman College Museum of Art, Andy Warhol Museum, Museum of Contemporary, Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, European Old Masters, Catholic, UCSB Locations: Britannica, Cuban American, Atlanta, Santa, Western Africa, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Brooklyn, Rosales, Cuba, Americas

☆ Villa Palladio: India meets Italy at this boutique hotel near Jaipur
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-26 | by ( Shalbha Sarda | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

On this road lies the Villa Palladio boutique hotel and resort. Palladio was known for combining the elements of Renaissance and contemporary French practices, creating an altogether unique style known as Anglo-Palladianism. “There is incredible sophistication and presence of history in the aesthetics of both cities, and when conversing, they speak together beautifully.”Colors do more than pop in this Villa Palladio bedroom. Atul Pratap ChauhanWinning over the localsThe building that became Villa Palladio has a brief but fantastic story. Villa Palladio, Abhay Niwas Palace Sumel, Jamdoli Chouraha, Rajasthan 302031, India; +91 141 296 9762

Persons: India CNN —, Villa Palladio, It’s, Botticelli, Barbara Miolini, Marie Anne Oudejans, Miolini, Andrea Palladio, Palladio, ” Miolini, Atul Pratap Chauhan, Abhay Singh, ” Marie Ann Oudejans, Villa, Vibhor Mukul Singh, didn’t, ”, Abhay Niwas, Jamdoli Organizations: India CNN, India CNN — Kanota, Villa Locations: Jaipur, India, Rajasthan, Agra, Italian, Dutch, Switzerland, Venice, Italy, Jamdoli Chouraha

☆ Venus the Influencer? An Italian Tourism Campaign Prompts Backlash.
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-28 | by ( Elisabetta Povoledo | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

“Venus is back as an allegory of rebirth and renewal,” read a blurb on the company’s website. But some critics complained that turning the Renaissance icon into a modern-day influencer played into old stereotypes about Italy. (The campaign featured Venus as a hip fashionista, snapping selfies in Venice’s St. Mark’s Square, munching on pizza on Lake Como and posing in front of the Colosseum with a bicycle.) Undaunted by the criticism, Daniela Santanchè, the tourism minister, said she stood by the campaign, which officially begins in May. The German version has been taken down.

☆ Italian tourism video ridiculed for using footage of Slovenia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

Rome CNN —Italy’s tourism ministry is facing ridicule after an official video to attract tourists to Italy used footage of people in Slovenia drinking Slovenian wine. Art historian Tomaso Montanari called the advertising campaign “grotesque” and an “obscene” waste of money, while the video was lampooned by users of Italian social media platforms. Oops – wrong countryThe most controversial footage shows a group of young people smiling on a sunlit patio drinking wine in what is presented as a typical Italian scene. The Armando Testa communications group was not immediately available to comment. Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party, called critics of the video “snobs” and said the depiction of Venus as an influencer was aimed at attracting young people.

☆ Official promo video for Italy tourism features Slovenia
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-25 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

ROME, April 25 (Reuters) - Italy's tourism ministry has faced ridicule after an official video to attract tourists to Italy used footage of people in Slovenia drinking Slovenian wine. Art historian Tomaso Montanari called the advertising campaign "grotesque", and an "obscene" waste of money, while the video was lampooned by users of Italian social media platforms. The most controversial footage shows a group of young people smiling on a sunlit patio drinking wine in what is presented as a typical Italian scene. The Armando Testa communications group was not immediately available to comment. Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right Brothers of Italy party, called critics of the video "snobs" and said the depiction of Venus as an influencer was aimed at attracting young people.

☆ Italy’s new tourism ambassador is Botticelli’s Venus, brought to life by AI
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-21 | by ( Barbie Latza Nadeau | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +1 min

But a new marketing campaign by Italy’s tourism ministry has turned the ancient deity into a “virtual influencer”—with the help of artificial intelligence technology. “A Venus in the role of a modern influencer will lead every international visitor by the hand to discover our country,” the announcement from the Ministry of Tourism promises. Some are computer-generated, while others feature a human model whose face is never seen but who has the same long, wavy hair. “I’m 30—ok, maybe just a little bit older,” Venus says. “I’m a virtual influencer.”

☆ Renaissance artists da Vinci and Botticelli may have used egg yolk in their masterpieces, new study finds
▼ + stars: | 2023-04-02 | by ( Isobel Van Hagen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +2 min

Renaissance artists may have used egg yolk to protect and alter their paintings, scientists find. Egg proteins mixed into oil paint helps paintings withstand humidity and to prevent wrinkling. In the study, experts found that adding eggs to oil paintings "acts as an antioxidant, slowing down the onset of curing." benjapol congliang/ShutterstockIn examining the effects of using egg yolk proteins in the oil, the scientists found that the egg proteins suppressed the water absorbed in the paint in humid environments. While paintings dried, they also helped prevent yellowing and wrinkling — "a problem even Leonardo da Vinci encountered," the study found.

☆ Paul Allen’s Art Collection Sets Record With $1.5 Billion Sale
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Kelly Crow | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen ’s estate made auction history on Wednesday when a group of 60 artworks from his estate sold for $1.5 billion, smashing the record for priciest collection ever sold at auction. Lush landscapes and rare examples by artists like Paul Cézanne, Georges Seurat, Sandro Botticelli and Jasper Johns anchored a sale at Christie’s in New York that reaffirmed the depth of the trophy-hunting art market at a time of broader economic uncertainty.

☆ Cezanne, Seurat works headline $1 bln sale from late Microsoft co-founder's estate
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-14 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Described as "the sale of this century" by auction house Christie's, the collection of more than 150 pieces spans 500 years of art history from Sandro Botticelli to David Hockney. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterChristie's Global President Jussi Pylkkanen said he expected overall proceeds "well in excess of $1 billion." Allen, who together with school friend Bill Gates started Microsoft in 1975 before leaving the software company several years later, died in 2018, aged 65. Hockney's "Queen Anne's Lace Near Kilham" has a price estimate of $8 million-$12 million and Alberto Giacometti's sculpture "Femme de Venise III" $15 million-$20 million. Register now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com RegisterReporting by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; editing by John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ „Muzeul Prado iese în stradă”: expoziție în aer liber și filme spaniole la Chișinău
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-22 | by ( ) www.ipn.md time to read: +3 min

„Muzeul Prado iese în stradă”: expoziție în aer liber și filme spaniole la ChișinăuO expoziție în aer liber, cu genericul „Muzeul Prado iese în stradă”, va fi deschisă publicului la Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a Moldovei din Chişinău, în perioada 1-31 iulie anul curent. De asemenea, pe parcursul lunii iulie, iubitorii de film se vor putea bucura de nouă filme spaniole grupate în scurte cicluri tematice: filme de comedie, clasice, filme regizate de femei, drame şi de animaţie. Accesul publicului va fi gratuit, în limita locurilor disponibile şi cu respectarea normelor de protecţie şi distanţare socială. „Plácido”este o bijuterie a operei cunoscutului regizor Luis García Berlanga, de la a cărui naştere se împlinesc 100 de ani, în anul curent. Cele două evenimente culturale sunt organizate de Ambasada Spaniei la Bucureşti, în colaborare cu Muzeul Naţional Prado din Madrid şi cu sprijinul Muzeului Naţional de Istorie a Moldovei şi al Consulatului Onorific al Spaniei la Chişinău.

Persons: Moldovei, Expoziţia, Goya, Velázquez, Rubens, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Hieronymus Bosch, - lea, Luis García Berlanga, Chico, Rita, Cervantes Organizations: Istorie, Muzeului, Prado, Muzeului Naţional, Externe, Uniunii Europene Locations: Chișinău, Chişinău, Muzeului Prado, Spaniei, București, America Centrală, Sud, Filipine, SUA, Spania, România, Cooperării, Bucureşti, Madrid

☆ Descoperim cultura spaniolă cu ajutorul expoziției „Muzeul Prado iese în stradă” și a proiecției de filme spaniole, din cadrul Muzeului de Istorie
▼ + stars: | 2021-06-22 | by ( Onixmedia Srl | ) diez.md time to read: +3 min

# Expoziţia în aer liber „Muzeul Prado iese în stradă”Ambasada Spaniei la Bucureşti organizează, în colaborare cu Muzeul Naţional Prado din Madrid şi cu sprijinul Muzeului Naţional de Istorie a Moldovei şi al Consulatului Onorific al Spaniei la Chişinău, expoziţia în aer liber „Muzeul Prado iese în stradă”. Fotografiile vor putea fi admirate în perioada 1-31 iulie 2021 la Muzeul Naţional de Istorie a Moldovei din Chişinău (Strada 31 August 1989, 121 A). Locuitorii și vizitatorii Chişinăului vor avea ocazia să admire 22 dintre cele mai reprezentative opere ale Muzeului Prado, una dintre principalele instituţii culturale ale Spaniei şi unul dintre cele mai importante muzee din lume. Acest amplu eveniment cultural, prin cele două activităţi propuse, dezvăluie publicului din Chişinău motivele pentru care Muzeul Prado reprezintă un autentic Patrimoniu al Umanităţii şi evidenţiază, totodată, bogăţia şi valoarea inestimabilă a cinematografiie spaniole. Filmele dispun de subtitrare în limba română şi vor putea fi urmărite în perioada 3-31 iulie 2021, în fiecare zi de weekend, începând cu orele 21.00, în curtea Muzeului Naţional de Istorie a Moldovei.

Persons: Moldovei, August, Expoziţia, Goya, Velázquez, Rubens, Botticelli, Rembrandt, Hieronymus Bosch, - lea, Cervantes, Luis García, Chico, Rita Organizations: Muzeului, Istorie, Prado, Muzeului Naţional, Externe, Uniunii Europene Locations: Spaniei, Bucureşti, Madrid, Chişinău, Muzeului Prado, America Centrală, Sud, Filipine, SUA, Spania, România, Prado, Cooperării

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