On June 18, French time, the facsimile of the world famous painting "Mona Lisa" was auctioned in Paris, and finally sold for 2.9 million euros, about 22 million yuan, setting a record for the auction price of the facsimile of "Mona Lisa". This facsimile can be so expensive, in addition to the artistic value of the facsimile itself, the charisma of its former owner, Raymond Hegin, is also indispensable.
As Pierre Etienne, International Director of Christie's Classical Master Painting Division, points out: "The Mona Lisa of Hegin is a perfect testament to the amazing charm of the Mona Lisa. Helkien's defense of this painting represents a man's dedication and enthusiasm for art. "Herkin's dedication and enthusiasm are as fascinating as the Mona Lisa, and he and this facsimile have a legendary story.
A facsimile of the Mona Lisa from Herkin's collection
The source of the "true and false" dispute
Theft in 1911
Pierre Etienne's "defense of the painting by Hegin" means that Hegin vowed to die to claim that the facsimile of the Mona Lisa in his collection was authentic, and that the one now in the Louvre was an imitation. Why did the authenticity of the Mona Lisa become something that Hegin questioned? This has to start with the theft case of a long time ago.
On Monday, August 21, 1911, the Louvre was closed as usual. On the same day, a Louvre painter removed the painting without anyone noticing, and the next day the Louvre staff found that the Mona Lisa was missing, and the news of the theft of the Mona Lisa spread throughout France and even the world. The painter, Vincenzo Perugia, was an Italian patriot who immigrated to France. In court he claimed that the Mona Lisa was written by Leonardo da Vinci of Italy and deserved to belong to the Italian people. He was driven by this strong enthusiasm for the return of national treasures to steal.
The Mona Lisa, which returns to the Louvre, maintains a "safe distance" from the audience
At this point, the theft case is still not over. Later, a drunken art fraudster who claimed to be Walfield revealed to american journalist Kaldeker that he was the real mastermind behind the Mona Lisa theft, and that the painter Perugia was just a helper he hired. In order to sell his fake Mona Lisa, Walfield decided to steal the original from the Louvre and then sell the fake painting to the customer, convincing the customer that he was getting the stolen louvre. Shortly after the news of the theft of the Mona Lisa, Walfield did sell six paintings, which the acquirers thought they had gotten the originals. He hired Perugia because "the staff in white smocks in the Louvre will never be suspected." ”
Mona Lisa (Partial)
Although the theft of the Mona Lisa has been revealed, and the "Mona Lisa" that returned to the Louvre has also been identified as authentic by experts, because the theft involves art fraud, true and false works have flowed into the market, so the authenticity of this "Mona Lisa" has been questioned by many people.
Do publicity, make movies
Crazy apologists
Raymond Hekking believes that the results of the examination given by the Louvre are only face-saving statements, which are not convincing, and the real Mona Lisa is in his hands. In 1953, Hergin bought a facsimile of the Mona Lisa from an antique dealer in his native Nice. He cherishes the works he bought, takes good care of them every day, and repeatedly compares the works with the photos of the real handwriting from various details such as cracks and handwriting.
Herkin examining his Mona Lisa
In addition to publicizing to the public with his own strength, Hergin also paid a special tribute to the famous art historian of the time, Max V. Max Jacob Friedländer presented the work in an attempt to gain the support of pundits. Friedrundel told Herkin near the end of his career that the painting was most likely the real Mona Lisa, which gave Herkin great confidence. Friedland's "celebrity effect" added persuasiveness to Hergin's argument.
Helkien took great care of the collection
However, it is certainly not enough for French art historians, in order to increase the exposure of works, In the 60s, Helkien was more active. First, he seized on "film," a very popular propaganda medium at the time, and organized the production of a film about the Mona Lisa, The Mona Lisa Sensation, which was distributed by EMI. You know, at the beginning of the 20th century, when Hollywood in the United States had not yet risen, EMI Film Company was the leader of the French and even global film industry, and THE PRODUCTION STYLE AND PHILOSOPHY OF EMI WAS THE GLOBAL MAINSTREAM. Even in the 1960s, EMI was still a well-known film company. I have to say that Hegin's move is really "bloody".
In this film, he carefully examines the authenticity of the painting and invites several experts in the field to identify it, and the results are that the experts agree with his judgment.
Hegin was showing people the evidence to support his point of view
The real "going abroad" of this facsimile was in the diplomatic activities of France and the United States in the 1960s. In the 1960s, in order to promote the diplomacy between France and the United States, France decided to send the Louvre's "Mona Lisa" to Washington, D.C., for exchanges, and Hulking seized this opportunity to actively participate in media activities to communicate with American journalists, and successfully showed his films to everyone. It is crazy to openly question the authenticity of the Louvre's Mona Lisa in such a formal diplomatic media exchange. For a time, the staunch defender made headlines in many media outlets such as France and the United States because of his actions. At the same time, the true meaning of the facsimile is no longer just "whether it is authentic", and has its own name, "Hekin's Mona Lisa".
Hegin made headlines in many media outlets such as France and the United States for his actions
From the time he owned the facsimile, Helkien did his best to defend the copyright of the facsimile until his death in 1977. Hekin's Mona Lisa was then kept by his family. Now, the work is in the hands of the next person at a record-breaking price. If Hekin knew that his Mona Lisa had set the first record for the auction of facsimiles, he was not satisfied, or whether he still thought that the real destination of this "real work" should be the Louvre?
THE END
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