Mona Lisa's Florence

Saving "Mona Lisa"

A new one-hour French documentary, “The Man Who Saved the Louvre,” which won the Emmy Award 2015 in the Arts Programming, weaves archival footage with animation to tell the story of a daring rescue on the eve of WW II. Read more →

Whoopi Goldberg as Mona Lisa

Actress, comedian, and talk show host Whoopi Goldberg has never been shy about sharing her opinions, and her thoughts on art are no exception. In an interview with myArt Magazine, a publication by Dorotheum auction house, Goldberg revealed her life-long interest in art. Read more →

Is "Mona Lisa" Good Enough to Eat?

Leonardo da Vinci's iconic portrait has inspired imitations in almost every medium, from Legos, to yarn, to grass. The makers of "edible art" also are transforming the world's most famous face into culinary creations. Read more →

R.I.P., Mona Lisa

For years, Silvio Vinceti, a self-styled tomb raider with no scientific credentials but a knack for generating publicity , led the international media on a merry but misguided quest for the bones of Mona (Madame) Lisa Gherardini, the Florentine woman immortalized in Leonardo da Vinci’s portrait. The dubious pursuit ended last month with an utterly predictable result: no conclusive findings. Read more →

MONA LISA "Seduces" India

Ms. Hales's book is a master class for journalists, instructing them on the nature and extent of research necessary to write a book of such ambition. Its lucid narrative transports the reader to 15th century Florence under the sway of the Medicis, the bankers of Europe's emperors who bankrolled the Italian Renaissance; the Pazzi conspiracy; the threat of a joint invasion by the Papal and Neapolitan armies; its streets, shops, markets, churches and artists' workshops where an adolescent da Vinci mastered the sfumato technique. Read more →

Now in Paperback!

In spite of the Mona Lisa's international fame, the life and times of the portrait’s subject have largely remained a mystery —until now. In MONA LISA: A Life Discovered, now available in paperback (Simon & Schuster, August 2015, $16.00), award-winning author Dianne Hales finally reveals the woman behind the iconic smile. Read more →

Mona Lisa on the Move

Over the last year I've traveled thousands of miles to give talks and presentations on MONA LISA: A Life Discovered. Just about everywhere I went, I discovered that "she" was already there. Read more →

"Seeing" the Prada's MONA LISA

The common sign "Please do not touch the art" might be a command for many museum visitors, but Madrid’s famous Museo del Prado is changing that with an exhibit in which visitors are encouraged to get hands-on with famous artworks, such as the Mona Lisa. Read more →

MONA LISA "LIVE"

More than 500 years after its creation, Leonardo’s portrait of Mona Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo is coming to digital life. Read more →

Is that you, Mona Lisa?

More than 500 years ago, Leonardo da Vinci began his portrait of Mona (Madame) Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo in Florence. The maestro understood that paintings endured long after human life ends, but he could never have anticipated that his depiction of a Renaissance wife and mother would inspire countless imitations over the centuries. Read more →