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PEOPLE & ARTS Tuesday 27 November 2018
Italy livid about deal to loan Leonardo works to Louvre

By FRANCES D'EMILIO ardo drawings. But director
Associated Press Eike D. Schmidt said his mu-
ROME (AP) — So versatile seum is nixing the Louvre's
were Leonardo da Vinci's request for its stellar trio of
talents in art and science Leonardo paintings be-
and so boundless his vi- cause "simply, these works
sionary imagination, he is are so extremely fragile. No
known to the world as the museum in the world would
universal genius. ever lend them."
But not to Italy's nationalist- Last summer, when the
tilting government, which three Leonardos were
is livid about plans by the moved one flight up in the
Louvre museum in Paris for Uffizi so they would have a
a blockbuster exhibit next room all to themselves, the
year with as many as possi- transfer required prepara-
ble Leonardo masterpieces tions "like it was an expe-
loaned from Italian muse- dition to Mount Everest, or
ums to mark the 500th anni- a space trip to the Moon,"
versary of the Renaissance with restoration experts on
artist's death. hand just in case anything
"It's unfair, a mistaken deal," got damaged, Schmidt
Italian Culture Ministry Un- said in a phone interview.
dersecretary Lucia Borgon- One of the three paintings,
zoni said of a 2017 agree- "Adoration of the Magi,"
ment between a previous only came back to the
government and the Lou- Uffizi last year, after five
vre. "Leonardo is an Italian In this Monday, March 12, 2007, file photo, workers in the Uffizi Museum in Florence, Italy, put the years of restoration work
genius," she told The Associ- 6.5-foot-long, 3-foot-tall Leonardo da Vinci's "Annunciation" painting in three protective crates in Florence.In 2007, when
ated Press this week. filled with shock-absorbers and high-tech sensors for departure Tuesday for a show at Japan's "Annunciation," a painting
Borgonzoni is a sena- National Museum in Tokyo. on wood by a 20-year-old
tor from the League, the Associated Press Leonardo depicting the
"Italians-first" sovereignty- Italy, and died in Amboise, ly, noting it's nearly a year for comment. Archangel Gabriel proffer-
championing party in the France, in 1519. before the four-months- "While respecting the au- ing a lily to the Virgin, was
nearly six-month-old popu- Borgonzoni criticized how long exhibit opens on Oct. tonomy of museums, na- about to leave the Uffizi for
list government. as part of the 2017 arrange- 24, 2019.Exhibit curator, tional interests can't be put a Tokyo exhibition, a sena-
She was elaborating on ment, Italy also pledged to Vincent Delieuvin, part in second place," Borgonzo- tor from the conservative
comments earlier this program its own exhibits so of the Louvre's staff, also ni told Corriere. "The French Forza Italia (Let's Go Italy)
month, in Italian daily Cor- they won't compete with serves on the Italian Culture can't have everything."And party and several Floren-
riere della Sera, in which the Louvre mega-show. Ministry's committee which it appears they won't get tines chained themselves
she said of Leonardo: "In The Louvre declined to evaluated proposals from all they want. to a museum gate in a vain
France, all he did was die." comment on Italy's objec- museums worldwide for the The Uffizi Galleries in Flor- attempt to thwart the pre-
Leonardo was born in 1452 tions, nor say which art- celebrations. He didn't re- ence is considering loaning cious masterpiece from be-
in the Tuscan town of Vinci, works it requested from Ita- ply to an emailed request the Louvre several Leon- ing flown to Japan.q

Music Review: Anderson .Paak cruises home on 'Oxnard"

By MELANIE J. SIMS of instruments, including wins for Paak, and with
Associated Press high-flying flute, chimes guests like J. Cole on the
Anderson .Paak, "Oxnard" and drums. And that's just lovely, soulful "Trippy," the
(Aftermath/12 Tone Music) to name the pieces that odds are in Paak's favor.
Anderson .Paak isn't far come together on album- But he succeeds when he
from the beach, but he's opener "The Chase," which pushes the envelope, too,
certainly left the shore. sounds perfectly fit for the like on standout track "6
His latest set, "Oxnard," soundtrack of a 1970s Blax- Summers," where he delves
whisks fans from the ocean ploitation film. into the issue of gun vio-
breeziness of his Grammy- Paak dons a 90's vibe on the lence.
nominated second album Snoop Dogg-assisted "Any- "There's money to be made
"Malibu," and waves them where," and he takes cues in the killing spree/that's
into the passenger seat from other genres, too, like why he trying to start a war
for a gritty, funk-filled ride on the island-tinged "Sav- on the Twitter feed," Paak
further inland to his home- iers Road," where he shouts spits, before he returns to
town in Southern California, out his doubters and details his refrain: "Pop, pop, pop
for which the new album is the struggle of his come- goes the shooter/reform,
named. up. "I was somewhere in reform shoulda came
The trip is nothing short of between giving up, and sooner." And, if it is not clear
thrilling. Paak's collabora- doing a sentence.," he raps who Paak is addressing, he
tion with executive produc- of life a decade ago. makes it obvious, adding:
er Dr. Dre is a beautiful thing, Upbeat singles "Tints" fea- "Dear Mr. President/it's evi- This cover image released by Aftermath/12 Tone Music shows
with their expert wielding of turing Kendrick Lamar and dent that you don't give a "Oxnard," a release by Anderson .Paak.
a seemingly endless range "Who R U?" are no-brainer damn..."q Associated Press