Protesting a risky loan

And this isn't just money -- it's Leonardo's Annunciation in the Uffizi:

An Italian senator chained himself to a column near the gates of the Uffizi museum on Monday as many in the Italian art world protested the loan of Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation" for a show at Japan's National Museum in Tokyo.

Inside the museum, the 6.5 foot by 3 foot (nearly 2 meters by 1 meter) painting was being bundled into three protective crates filled with shock-absorbers and high-tech sensors to monitor humidity, temperatures and stress levels in preparation for departure Tuesday.

The 15th century masterpiece will be shown from March 20 through June 17 as part of "Italian Spring," a series of events promoting Italian culture and products. . .

Art historians and intellectuals from Florence, including filmmaker Franco Zeffirelli, have signed a petition asking Culture Minister Francesco Rutelli to cancel the loan. . .

The senator who chained himself, Paolo Amato, has said the loan exposes a priceless masterpiece to unnecessary risk and belittles its significance by using it in a commercial event.

This is a flagrant abuse of cultural resources. There are so few surviving paintings by Leonardo to start with, and this particular panel is of signal importance in understanding his early development as a painter. Even ordinary panel paintings of this size and fragility should travel only under pressing circumstances -- and in this case, there isn't even the pretense of a greater scholarly purpose to be served.

Posted by David on March 13, 2007 11:00 AM