Italy’s favourite son, finally moving out

Leonardo da Vinci just cant seem to stay out of the news these days. The latest controversy surrounding the Renaissance genius concerns borrowing and loaning. Should Leonardo be loaned abroad? Should priceless works of art be forced to abandon their native cities, and be packed up and shipped off to the four corners of the globe? This is the question on the minds of Florentine art lovers, experts and novices alike, as they weigh the pros and cons of world-wide art exchange. Culture Minister Rutelli has taken a stand to quiet reports that Florences Uffizi Gallery allegedly nixed plans to loan one of Leonardos masterpieces, The Annunciation, to a major Italian cultural showcase in Japan. On a recent visit to the Cortina event Cortina In-con-tra, Rutelli tried to still a debate originally set off by art expert Vittorio Sgarbi after the Academia di Brera refused to loan Mantegnas Dead Christ to an exhibit in Mantova. Even Florentine mayor Leonardo Domenici entered into the controversy. In a recent meeting with the Min-ister of Culture, Domenici admitted that loaning The Annunciation was in fact a sacrifice. The Annunciation, an early Leo-nardo painting, is one of the top attractions at Florences Uffizi gallery, which boasts the worlds most complete collection of works from the Florentine Renaissance. An early masterpiece, The Annunciation was probably painted in 1472-75, when Leonardo was barely out of his teens. Despite this, experts say the work has an impact similar to mature masterpieces, such as the Mona Lisa and the Last Supper. It will be the first Leonardo work loaned abroad.There are works that, per se, exclude themselves from loans, Uffizi Director Antonio Natali reportedly argued after press reports that the painting would be the centrepiece of Primavera Italiana 2007, the exhibit scheduled for next year in Tokyo. Im talking about paintings like The Annunciation, Michelangelos Holy Family, or the great Botticelli works that form the nucleus of the Uffizi.The Culture Minister apparently disagrees: The Japanese government has asked to borrow Leonardos painting for display at the largest ex-hibit Japan has ever seen. It is a sacrifice that we need to make. Rutelli underlined the importance of this loan for Italys image, and what it could mean for Italian brands and tourism. The decision has already been made, Rutelli told the press, and an understanding has been reached between myself and the Superintendent of the Polo Museale Fiorentino, Antonio Paolucci.