Why’d They Put That In A Museum?
Show Notes
Artist: Leonardo da Vinci (Florence, 1452 – Amboise, France, 1519)
Item: Portrait of Lisa Gherardini, called Mona Lisa
Details: 1503 – 1519. Oil on wood, 79.4 x 53.4 cm. Musée du Louvre, Paris. https://collections.louvre.fr/en/ark:/53355/cl010062370
Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci
aThe reason Mona Lisa is in the Louvre Museum in Paris is surprising in its simplicity. Hint: It was housed in the Louvre before the Louvre ever became a museum. How and why did it travel from Florence, where da Vinci painted it, to Paris? Check out this episode of the podcast ‘Why’d They Put That in a Museum?’ to find out. Hosts Beth Bacon and Sarah Lees provide introduce listeners to Lisa Ghirardini, the Florentine woman whose face became known around the world. They discuss the social and economic context that existed during da Vinci’s lifetime around 500 years ago. Sarah explains why curators believe da Vinci to be a master of techniques including perspective and a painting mode called sfumato. The hosts also cover the painting’s its theft in 1911, and discuss its ubiquity in pop culture. Join us for this epic episode.
Contact Us
Say helloAbout the Podcasters
Sarah Lees
Sarah is a museum curator and researcher who has worked in organizations both large and small, and who remembers her first assignment for an art history class – to look into Rembrandt’s eyes and describe what she saw there. She believes everyone can find those kinds of connections to some form of creative expression, whether it’s a painting, a grandmother’s quilt, or a perfectly formed pen-stroke in a manuscript.
Beth Bacon
In addition to being an avid museum-goer, Beth Bacon is an author for young readers. Her books empower today’s kids to learn about themselves and the world through reading. She is also a teacher and branding consultant and a volunteer at the Missouri History Museum. Beth holds an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts, an MA in Communication Arts from NYU, and a BA in Literature from Harvard University.
Music Credit
The music you hear in the intro and outro was composed by Edward Whelan. We appreciate his contribution to our podcast.