Culture

Michelangelo's David in gun advertising: Italians are furious

The American arms company for its advertising campaign chose the figure of David Michelangelo. Florence authorities plan to sue the "blasphemers"

"The advertising image of armed David is offensive, whiter than that it violates the law. We will take measures to force the American agency to cancel their advertising campaign as soon as possible," wrote Italian Minister of Culture and Tourism Dario Franceschini on his Twitter account.

Instead of a sling - a rifle. David hands Michelangelo Buanarroti, a symbol of Florence, became the "advertising face" of American-made weapons. Arma Lite, an arms company from Illinois, depicted a famous statue in an advertisement for an AR 50A1 tactical rifle worth more than 3 thousand dollars. Photomontage is accompanied by the slogan "A work of art" work of art.

Initially, the advertisement was distributed in specialized American armament publications such as Rifle Firepower, but was then published in Espresso and caused a real scandal in the art world. Cristina Acidini, Florentine Museum Fund ranger reaction, was immediate: she immediately sent the Americans a notification of the start of the lawsuit if they continued to distribute images of David in arms.

"In order to use David, as well as any work stored in our museums for advertising purposes, representatives of the Ministry of Culture explain, it is necessary to evaluate the image so that it does not diminish cultural value. Advertising campaigns of Italian companies are approved by the director and the decision of the museum fund superintendent."

Academy Gallery Director Angelo Tartuferi confirms:

“According to the law, the aesthetic value of a work of art cannot be distorted. Thus, we observe not just an example of bad taste, but also a clear violation of the law. The museum did not receive any official request from the American company: but in any case, we would never didn't give them permission. "

“Of course, we will intervene,” adds Acendini, but then clarifies: “Of course, we are talking about international relations, and we cannot call the FBI against Arma Lite. But I’m going to use all the opportunities I have to force them to stop the advertising campaign starting from "moral suggestion" and ending with a scandal in the press. "

The position of the caretaker is also supported by Sergio Givone, esthetic philosopher and cultural assessor of the Palazzo Vecchio: "This advertisement is a heavy insult. This is an act of violence against the sculpture: as if it had been hit with a hammer or even worse. Here the very nature of David is distorted, a work expressing the freedom of a citizen before the oppression of the authorities. The statue of Michelangelo depicts a young unarmed guy who is ready to fight Goliath with one sling: in advertising, we see a huge rifle. Not just an insult, but also falsification. "And Jivone offers:" It would be nice to get compensation from an American company. For example, a billion dollars. The figure is astronomical, but why not? We would have restored Pompeii or funded ongoing repairs in Italian museums. "

Popular Posts

Category Culture, Next Article

Where to eat cheap in Florence - places for "friends"
Italy

Where to eat cheap in Florence - places for "friends"

Is it possible to eat a relatively cheap meal in Florence? Yes! I talk about institutions that are popular with local residents. Tasty, inexpensive, authentic! Restaurants for "their", photo Massimo Motta Florentine restaurants "famous" for high prices. Especially expensive are institutions in the historical center.
Read More
Rainbow MagicLand Amusement Park
Italy

Rainbow MagicLand Amusement Park

Rainbow Magicland is a large modern amusement park located near the town of Valmontone. Its name literally means: "Rainbow - Fairyland." Magic, magic, fairy tales - these are the main themes of the design of the park, endless sources of plots for all its entertainments. Park Rainbow MagicLand - a magical land of entertainment, photo Filippo Tenore Rainbow Magicland - a large modern amusement park located near the town of Valmontone (60 km from Rome).
Read More
Pantheon
Italy

Pantheon

The Pantheon is one of the objects that personifies the greatness of Rome. Entrance to it is free, which cannot but rejoice. I advise you to visit. At the entrance to the Pantheon In Rome, literally on every corner you can get in touch with history. The unique Roman monument - Pantheon, blessed "Temple of All Gods" - became a model of unsurpassed engineering thought by architects of ancient Rome.
Read More
Florence
Italy

Florence

Florence is the capital of Tuscany, one of the most beautiful cities in the world, a museum city. Here lived and worked Michelangelo, Boccaccio, Botticelli, Machiavelli, Dante, Da Vinci, Brunelleschi. The masterpieces of architecture, painting and sculpture of the Renaissance form entire ensembles. Florence (Firenze) Florence (Firenze) is a city in Central Italy, the capital of Tuscany.
Read More