The Local France

'Mona Lisa' could be set to make rare tour of France

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 16:01:53 +0100

The "Mona Lisa", Da Vinci's masterpiece which has spent nearly all of the past 500 years in Paris, could soon be smiling at audiences across France as part of a rare tour, the country's culture minister said Thursday.

Historian 'reveals' secret of Mona Lisa's smile

Mon, 10 Mar 2014 09:20:00 +0100

It's taken him 12 years, but an amateur art historian from Texas reckons he's solved the mystery of the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile, five centuries after it was immortalized by Leonardo da Vinci.

Clooney calls for Mona Lisa's return to Italy

Fri, 14 Feb 2014 15:41:00 +0100

Actor George Clooney has lined up against the French government in an ongoing art row. The Hollywood star has waded into the battle for the Mona Lisa, saying the Louvre Museum in Paris should return it to its native Florence.

France rejects Italian plea to borrow Mona Lisa

Tue, 31 Dec 2013 14:53:00 +0100

France has turned down a request from the Italian city of Florence to borrow the Louvre's famous Mona Lisa painting, by Leonardo da Vinci. Authorities in Italy wanted to bring the artwork back to the country in which it was painted, for an exhibition.

Spanish museum reveals 'younger' Mona Lisa

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:18:00 +0100

A Spanish museum Wednesday revealed an authenticated contemporary copy of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa found in its vaults, looking younger and more ravishing than the original, which sits in Paris' Louvre museum.

Italians bid to borrow Mona Lisa

Fri, 24 Jun 2011 10:50:00 +0200

Authorities in Florence on Thursday asked the Louvre Museum to loan them Leonardo's closely-guarded Mona Lisa for an exhibit in 2013 – 100 years since the last time the work was displayed in Italy.