The Mona Lisa has become the Big Mac of the of pop-culture.
(It would delicious if what’s hanging up there was actually an excellent, museum-commissioned copy, and the original was in the museum’s basement safe – given the spate of vandalism over the past few years.)
hell, in the states a split of moet and chandon runs about $30. after the paris trip we left london to spend 5 days with my wife’s cousins in kenilworth and did things in that area but when we got home we looked up some of the things we did in paris and prices and such because we felt like we got a real deal. by my calculations at the time for $200 plus the cost of our meals, which besides the tower lunch we had a dinner and a breakfast, we got around $700-750 worth of amenities. i wish i’d asked why it cost so little but we were so excited at the prospect it didn’t seem right to inquire to closely.
Also, it pays a lot of bills.
Still, putting it in it’s own space would be a win-win situation.
Some civilised countries have ‘free’ - as in socialised - education.
Not sayin’ it’s mine for much longer like, or even now.
I think that everyone could have an education in the civilized world. There are public schools, public libraries, and public TV channels that could help the people interested to visit a museum to better understand the art.
Yeah, but I don’t live in the civilized world. I live in the good old U S of A.
Pretty much everyone I know who’s gone to Paris has tried to “do” the Louvre and has come back complaining about how much they hated the experience; when pressed, they all tell similar stories of either just going to see the Mona Lisa and failing, or going with a tour group and getting rushed from room to room for several hours and coming out exhausted and unsatisfied. I think you have to go early, prioritize with a plan, avoid La Gioconda, and see what you can before wiping out.
And, please don’t forget the largest collection of Monet’s. (Which was not crowded at all when I visited this spring):
Again, this is world heritage, so there is no reason to make access contingent on knowledge. Plus, part of the CORE reason that museums exist is to EDUCATE the public… They are part of our educational system… Going to the Lourve is an education in and of itself!
Although to be fair it’s much easier to display the Night Watch in a way that allows lots of people to see it, as it’s so much bigger.
My favourite aspect of what they’ve done with it is that on the other walls of the room it’s in, there are other Dutch paintings from the same period and genre (mid 17th century group portraits of militia companies) to show why what Rembrandt did was different- and perhaps what his customers were expecting.
Even in those galleries, it’s amusing to see which paintings are on the list of ‘must see’ paintings and which aren’t, based purely on the size of the crowd around them- huge for Liberty Leading the People, not nearly as many for The Raft of the Medusa, and some amazing paintings like The Coronation of Napoleon are almost ignored.
I think it’s funny that the top of “The Night Watch” had to be cut off to make it fit in the room.
It’s probably worse than when you come to that conclusion yourself. My mom encouraged me to take violin lessons. After a few years I was proficient, but decided to put the instrument away after hearing my cousin perform (he’s a professional who plays with an orchestra). If you’re familiar with the film In the Good Old Summertime, it’s what I now call a “Mr. Oberkugen moment.”
It worked out OK for me since I never really aspired to be a fine artist anyway; I did end up majoring in art but with an emphasis (and eventually an MFA) in Graphic Design. So at least I’m still art adjacent.
You want to know one that is amazing in real life.
This one.
I had seen textbook and postcard pics but in person it just leaves you stunned as it takes up quite a bit of space on the wall.
I would dearly love to see that; I actually had no idea it was so large!
The most awe inspiring painting I’ve seen in real life was Guernica. It’s gigantic and overwhelming.
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