French Town Pleads With Madonna To Loan Historically Famous Painting Lost At War
The town of Amiens in France is reaching out to Madonna to ask if she can loan it a historically-famous painting in hopes to win a bid for the 2028 European Capital of Culture.
The oil painting in question is Diana and Endymion from 1822 by Jérôme-Martin Langlois, which was commissioned by Louis XVIII and later obtained by the French government in 1873. The work was hung in the Musée des Beaux-Arts before being bombed in 1918 by German forces. Many pieces, including Langlois’, were then moved to the Louvre in Paris.
Mysteriously, the Langlois was missing once the war ended, and the artwork was sent back to Amiens. Officially, it was marked as untraceable or believed to have been destroyed in the bombing. It remained under the radar until 1989, before it resurfaced at an auction where Madonna had purchased it for US$1.3 million.
Her version stands 1.2 inches shorter than the original’s measurements are recorded to be, leaving some to believe that she either owns the copy or the actual painting with the date and signature cut off.
Amiens’ mayor, Brigitte Fouré, has publically appealed for the singer to lend the town the painting in a Facebook post where she states that it would be a chance for the city’s people to reconnect and discover part of the culture.
Mon appel à Madonna pour prêter à la ville d'Amiens une œuvre jusqu'alors disparue !🗣 Mon appel à Madonna pour prêter à la Ville d'Amiens une œuvre jusqu'alors disparue ! 🎨 Un article récent du journal Le Figaro nous a permis de découvir que le tableau déposé avant la Grande Guerre au musée des Beaux-Arts d'Amiens, devenu depuis Musée de Picardie, et disparu après un épisode de bombardements pourrait avoir été retrouvé aux États-Unis dans la collection personnelle de la célèbre chanteuse Madonna. 🇪🇺 Dans le cadre de la candidature de notre ville au titre de Capitale européenne de la culture en 2028, j'adresse ce message à Madonna afin qu'elle accepte de nous prêter cette œuvre ! Elle pourrait ainsi, pendant quelques temps, revenir à Amiens et être vue par des milliers d'Amiénois ! 👉 Amiénoises, Amiénois, vous avez vous aussi un rôle à jouer : partagez massivement ce message afin qu'il parvienne jusqu'à Madonna ! Je compte sur vous !
Posted by Brigitte Fouré on Monday, January 16, 2023
This raises the question of who has the right to the painting in the first place.
Whatever it is, Amiens would like to have it back in the city again for a few weeks as it gears up for its proposal to the European Union on why it should be Europe’s Capital of Culture.
As of right now, Madonna has yet to respond to the city.
[via Artnet News and The Guardian, images via Wikimedia Commons {PD-US}]
