In case his name doesn’t give Leonardo’s ancestry away, the Italians, during their recent spat with the French over the loan of Leonardos for the Louvre’s major fall exhibition, took any opportunity they could to note that the master was born in Italy and lived there for the majority of his life (he only died in France!). Now, in celebration of the fifth centenary of his death, Milan is hosting an exhibition of about 20 drawings and paintings by Leonardo and his pupils. The centerpiece of the show is Leonardo’s Madonna Litta, a painting that depicts the Virgin Mary breastfeeding the Christ child. Named for the House of Litta, the Milanese noble family that owned it for much of the 19th century, the Madonna Litta returns to its home city after 30 years in St. Petersburg’s Hermitage Museum. —J.V.
The Arts Intel Report
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
Leonardo and the Madonna Litta
When
Nov 7, 2019 – Feb 10, 2020
Where
Etc
Giovanni Antonio Boltraffio, “Virgin and Child (Madonna of the Flower),” c. 1497 – 1488 © Milan, Poldi Pezzoli Museum.