Medieval art historian Nicola Barbatelli will be bringing Leonardo da Vinci’s self-portrait to Malta as part of an exhibition to be held at the University’s Valletta campus. He tells Simonne Pace about his passion for the Renaissance world and speaks his mind about the recent sale of the Salvator Mundi.

Nicola Barbatelli: “The main scope of the exhibition is to showcase the Lucan Portrait as an exciting and new work of art and to make people aware of the fact that such cultural discoveries truly make the world a richer place.” Photo: Jonathan BorgNicola Barbatelli: “The main scope of the exhibition is to showcase the Lucan Portrait as an exciting and new work of art and to make people aware of the fact that such cultural discoveries truly make the world a richer place.” Photo: Jonathan Borg

Italian medieval art historian Nicola Barbatelli was recently in Malta on a short visit to make plans for a three-month-long Leonardo da Vinci exhibition, which is a first for Malta.

The brainchild of Oscar Generale, an Italian entrepreneur living in Los Angeles, the exhibition will be held later this year at the University’s Valletta campus and curated by Prof. Barbatelli, director of the Museo delle Antiche Genti di Lucania in Italy’s Basilicata region.

“Being this year’s European Capital of Culture, Valletta is the perfect place to host such a high-profile exhibition. Malta is also well known for Caravaggio’s masterpieces. So the idea of bringing Da Vinci to Malta, where Caravaggio actually lived, is fascinating,” Prof. Barbatelli told the Times of Malta.

This Da Vinci-Caravaggio connection, “an interesting and beautiful aspect to explore”, has already been attempted in the past – through Caravaggio’s Medusa, a portrait commissioned as a gift for the Grand Duke of Tuscany, said to be based on a previous representation by Da Vinci, 80 years after he had died.

La Tavola Lucana, Da Vinci’s oil-on-panel self-portrait, will be the star of the exhibition, said the professor, who was accompanied by events co-ordinator Amabile Zammit and Giandomenico Glinni, president of the Accademia del Rinascimento.

However, there will also be two sculptures of Da Vinci’s face: one based on a three-dimensional study of the Lucan Portrait; the other on Andrea Verocchio’s David which, scholars believe, represents the artist.

The Salvator Mundi is a painting that we still expect many answers from. How is it possible that it was changed? Because we always knew the painting. Then it was sent for a little makeover and it came back as something new. It was vulgar

The Lucan Portrait, depicting a man with a long beard and wearing a dark hat, is currently exhibited at the Museo delle Antiche Genti di Lucania. After Malta, the portrait will take centre stage throughout Spain in 2019, which will mark the 500th anniversary of Da Vinci’s death.

“We will also be having a multimedia area at the University’s Valletta campus where various pictures and models of inventions by Da Vinci may be brought to life to offer a complete picture,” said the professor, who has worked closely with some of the biggest art galleries in the world and with Italy’s top Da Vinci expert Carlo Pedretti, who passed away on January 5.

“The main scope of the exhibition is to showcase the Lucan Portrait as an exciting and new work of art and to make people aware of the fact that such cultural discoveries truly make the world a richer place. The biggest mistake by any scholar would be to think of Da Vinci only in terms of his well-known masterpieces, such as La Gioconda, La Dama con l’Ermellino or La Belle Ferronière. He was also a man who loved to experiment, so art experts should keep an open mind and think of the bigger personality that he was – a scientist, engineer, philosopher and architect, basically an all-rounder.”

Prof. Barbatelli’s dream is to make people understand the beauty of the Renaissance world, not only through Da Vinci’s paintbrush but also through the eyes of other great artists who were as ingenious as him.

Leonardo da Vinci’s self-portraitLeonardo da Vinci’s self-portrait

There has been a lot of controversy about the authenticity of the Lucan Portrait.

“An extraordinary work of art attributed to the artist after many years of scientific research, the self-portrait gives us a good idea of what the artist looked like. At first the portrait didn’t convince me. I thought it was an 18th-century work of art that had nothing to do with Da Vinci. But the intensity of his gaze left such a strong impact,” said the professor, who believes that art is an expression of a feeling in each and every one of us.

“The fact that the Lucan Portrait was discovered after 500 long years purely by chance – by a family in a cupboard at their house in Salerno – adds even more mystery to the story, thus making the painting ever so intriguing.”

So what does he think of the sale of the Salvator Mundi, which took place last November?

“The sale was a perfect marketing exercise that shows how money can win over science. We were slightly enthusiastic about the news because, thankfully, this implied that Da Vinci was not yet dead. If a painting that only looks like a Da Vinci original was sold for $450 million, one can only imagine what the original would cost.

“This is a painting that we still expect many answers from. How was it restored? How is it possible that it was changed? Because we always knew the painting. Then it was sent for a little makeover and it came back as something new. It was vulgar. I don’t know if the attribution to Da Vinci was a matter of incompetence or bad faith. I’m happy for those who bought the painting and for those who sold it, but less happy for Da Vinci being treated this way,” he said.

“The perfect work of art does not exist. One with a few defects is usually a masterpiece by a great artist. The biggest strength in Leonardo’s self-portrait is that it never ceases to tell a story; it’s a portrait that oozes joy.”

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