Leonard drives him crazy. Between diplomatic scrambles, technical difficulties and last minute delays, it would be almost a genius like Leonardo da Vinci to achieve everything. "We never lived that," says the Louvre. The museum is preparing to receive the exhibition Leonard de Vinci, from Thursday, October 24, 2019 to February 24, 2020. A monster exhibition that 180,000 people have already planned to see. And whose organization was a real obstacle course.
Very rare paintings
Several works by the Florentine painter have been brought from different museums. The first loan applications were launched four years ago. And getting them was very difficult. There are very few paintings by Leonardo da Vinci in the world. Of the 15 to 18 that are identified, the Louvre is the one with the most, with five works. The latter are very fragile, which could have, for example, delayed the arrival of the famous drawing "The Vitruvian Man", who will finally arrive in time for the opening of the exhibition on Thursday. To obtain the loan of this painting, it even had to go through a decision of the Italian justice.
Some museums have struggled to separate from their flagship works. Many uncertainties have therefore substituted until the last minute. For example, the loan of the "Madonna Benois" by the Hermitage Museum of St. Petersburg, was confirmed only a week ago. As for the "Salvator Mundi", a portrait of the Savior Christ, long claimed by the Louvre, we still do not know where he is. But the museum still hopes to see one day arrive in Paris the most expensive painting in the world.