Minister Bonisoli: "We will collaborate with France to celebrate Leonardo. Soon the list of works that will go on loan."

Cultural Heritage Minister Alberto Bonisoli met with French Culture Minister Franck Riester in Milan’s Palazzo Litta (headquarters of the Soprintendenza) in a bilateral meeting under the banner of collaborations for Leonardo’s 500th anniversary. Italy, Minister Bonisoli assured, will actively collaborate with France in preparation for the event, lending its works for the exhibitions that France will hold, and in turn the French will reciprocate by helping Italy on the occasion of the five-hundredth anniversary of Raphael’s death, which will fall next year.

“We are very pleased,” Bonisoli said, “that France is celebrating the greatness of Leonardo. An Italian genius also appreciated by King Francis I at whose court the artist, originally from Vinci, spent the last years of his life. I believe that Italy and France can work together to make the celebrations on Leonardo more majestic, thus demonstrating that art, and culture more generally, are instruments of dialogue without borders or restrictions. Likewise, I am sure that there will be the widest collaboration between our countries for the celebrations on Raphael as well.”

Soon the list of works that will go on loan will be drawn up: there is talk of both the works that will leave Italy for the Leonardo da Vinci celebrations in France (the transalpine country is involved since the Tuscan genius spent the extreme period of his life in France, dying in Amboise in 1519), and those that from beyond the Alps will arrive in Italy for the Raphael exhibitions.

Also during the meeting, Minister Bonisoli accepted Riester’s invitation to participate in the Salon du Livre in Paris in mid-March: in addition, Italy will be guest nation of honor at the 2021 Salon. What’s more, Bonisoli proposed to set up a major cultural forum in the fall to allow France and Italy to discuss the issue of cultural and creative industries: in particular, cinema, music and audiovisual will be discussed.

Pictured is Minister Bonisoli with his counterpart Riester.

Minister Bonisoli: "We will collaborate with France to celebrate Leonardo. Soon the list of works that will go on loan."

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