Following the Equator

Leave it to the Louvre

The Louvre is nothing if not all-encompassing. The newest addition at world's largest art museum is from a seemingly unlikely source: actor Tony Dow, who played Wally Cleaver in the legendary 1950s TV show Leave It to Beaver.

Dow's abstract bronze sculpture of a woman holding a shield, titled Unarmed Warrior, will be on display at the Louvre’s Société Nationale des Beaux-Arts exhibition for just a few days next month—from Dec. 11 to 14.

"Having something shown at the Louvre is about as good as you can get," Dow told The Associated Press. "Of course, I'm really proud of Leave It to Beaver and my directing career in television. Those are great accomplishments. I'm really proud of them, but this is interesting because I don't think they know anything about that at the Louvre."

Dow is one of several sculptors from the Karen Lynne Gallery in Los Angeles who will be featured in the exhibition in Paris. Apparently, Eddie Haskell and "Lumpy" Rutherford will not be joining them.

Photo: Diana-B. via Flickr

Legendary Louvre

There's a great photo gallery on Time magazine's website called "The Louvre: France's Iconic Museum."

The world's most famous art museum—home to the world's most famous painting, Mona Lisa—has done a remarkable job of staying modern and relevant. Check out the slideshow to see how the Louvre is becoming "richer, bolder and edgier than ever before."

UPDATE: This week's Time also has a big piece—called "Le Louvre Inc."—about the museum's new business direction.

Photo: Following the Equator via Flickr

Travel Tidbits: Navigating the Louvre

The Louvre in Paris claims to be the world's largest museum. With more than 35,000 works of art and more than 652,000 square feet of exhibition space, it's easy to get lost among the masterpieces.

Globespotters recommends a handy solution to navigating the paintings, the sculptures, the treasures: a new multimedia gadget called the XP-vision.

The device, which was introduced last November and can be rented for six euros, includes a small video screen and headphones. You can choose various tours, or even customize one, through the vast collection. One of the best features is a virtual map, which helps you find your way through the maze of rooms.

Read on for more Travel Tidbits ...

Paris O Postcard: Guarding Mona Lisa

Standing next to the most famous painting in the world may seem like a glorious assignment, but it's not if you're the one faced with an onslaught of flashbulbs all day long.

Mona Lisa, which used to be off-limits to amateur photographers, is now also the most photographed painting in the world. Many of the EF Group Leaders made a beeline for the painting after arriving at the Louvre to kick off our Paris Orientation weekend.

After taking a few photos of my own, I spoke to one of Mona Lisa's watchguards, Franck Paradis, who said the Louvre stopped forbidding photography back in summer. He said they could barely stop people from snapping away at that famous portrait.

"It's impossible," said Paradis (standing to the left of the painting in the photo above).

He reassured, though, that special glass protects the masterpiece from the flashes.

But when asked if it was an honor to stand beside Mona Lisa, the guard quickly shook his head and said, "It's very hard."

Then he rubbed his eyes and said, "Too many flashes."

'David' might move

Has David outgrown Florence? The city of Florence thinks so.

Authorities in the Renaissance City are considering a plan to move Michelangelo's marble masterpiece from the city center to the outskirts of Florence, according to the Associated Press.

About 11 million tourists flock to Florence each year, and 1.3 million people visit the Accademia Gallery, where the 500-year-old David has resided since 1873. But overcrowding around the museum—including tourists sticking chewing gum on the building (if you can believe it)—has caused enough problems to prompt proposals from city officials.

One proposal, from a top regional cultural official, suggests moving the statue to a yet-unfinished music complex in the western part of the city. The complex is under construction and not expected to be finished until 2010 or 2011, and Mayor Leonardo Domenici said that the move would not happen "in the near future." There are also plans in Florence for three tram lines to help ease congestion into the city center.

The Independent has more details about the uproar in the art world over the proposal to move David.

Mona Lisa revealed

Breaking news: Mona Lisa's true identity has been revealed!

The art world—not to mention the blogosphere—is abuzz with news that Mona Lisa was Lisa del Giocondo, at least according to experts at the Heidelberg University library.

The New York Times, Reuters, The Associated Press and Bloomberg all have the details. Manuscript expert Armin Schlechter discovered notes from October 1503 in the margin of a book and concluded that Leonardo's mysterious model was the former Lisa Gherardini, the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. A statement from the library yesterday is pretty definitive:

“All doubts about the identity of the Mona Lisa have been
eliminated by a discovery by Dr. Armin Schlechter.”

While the discovery's conclusiveness is newsworthy, it's no surprise. Lisa Gherardini has long been linked to the masterpiece—since at least 1550, less than 50 years after Leonardo completed the painting in Florence.

And we can only imagine that the Louvre's reaction was, "Well, duh!" The Paris museum, where the painting resides, has long suspected that Lisa Gherardini was the portrait's famous face. In fact, while acknowledging some ambiguity over the subject, the Louvre even refers to her by name in its title: Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, wife of Francesco del Giocondo.

Like we said a few months ago, Mona Lisa keeps making news. Still no word on the smile, though, but today's New York Times post referred to an article in 2000 with a revealing conclusion. It's up to you to decide.

Magnifying a masterpiece

Leonardo's The Last Supper is ready for its close-up.

One of the world's most famous paintings is now the world's largest high-definition photograph—at 16 billion pixels. And the best part is that all of us can enjoy an in-depth look at the remarkable, 500-year-old painting.

Thanks to a project by high-def photography expert HAL9000, you can now inspect every pixel of the painting.

The original painting, which hangs in Milan's Santa Maria delle Grazie, is a massive masterpiece. Although a tad less famous than another da Vinci painting, The Last Supper measures 29 feet wide and 15 feet high—dwarfing The Mona Lisa, which is less than 2 feet by 3 feet.

Nothing beats seeing this masterpiece in person. In fact, Globespotters just urged visitors to make time for it in Milan.

As Gadling points out, it's nearly impossible to get close enough to the classics to truly study them. But at least now we can get more than a glimpse of greatness. Enjoy zooming!

France, gratis

The Smithsonian in Washington does it. The British Museum in London does it. Now, France will do it, too, at least for a short time.

Free museums.

France Culture Minister Christine Albanel announced this week that 14 of France's museums and monuments, including three museums in Paris, will be free for six months, starting January 1.

Mona Lisa speaks

Mona Lisa is at it again.

Every so often, Leonardo's painting reveals more and more of its mysteries. Yesterday, we learned that Mona Lisa originally had eyebrows and eyelashes.

That's right. A French engineer, Pascal Cotte, pored over the most famous painting in the world with a high-definition camera he invented. He announced yesterday that he found definitive proof that da Vinci painted eyebrows and eyelashes on the portrait. Cotte's resulting ultra-high resolution photograph—magnified 24 times—shows a single brushstroke of a single hair above Mona Lisa's left brow.

The engineer suggested that the brows and lashes may have faded over time or been erased during a botched cleaning. His exhaustive examination also revealed other discoveries, including the position of her left hand. His work is on display at the Metreon Center in San Francisco.

Mona Lisa single-handedly makes the Louvre a must-see stop on any visit to Paris. With the protective glass and large crowds, you won't be able to get close enough to see her eyebrow, but she definitely demands a look-see. At one of EF's Paris Orientations earlier this year, I tagged along with a group of teachers who made a beeline for La Joconde, as it's called in Paris. It's amazing to see not only the painting itself but also the way it constantly captivates such a large group of people.

It isn't the greatest or grandest or biggest painting ever. It might not even be the most awe-inspiring or influential. But there's no arguing that it's the most popular. Whether she's starring in a bestselling novel and Hollywood blockbuster or merely the subject of endless debate, Mona Lisa continues to entice and enthrall us like no other piece of art. Mona Lisa may be 500 years old, but she keeps making news.

We can't wait to see what she'll say next. If only she'll tell us what that smile/smirk is all about ...