Mona Lisa in Camelot: How Jacqueline Kennedy and Da Vinci's Masterpiece Charmed and Captivated a Nation
In December 1962, Da Vincis Mona Lisa set sail from Paris to New York for what was arguably the riskiest art exhibition ever mounted. The fragile icon traveled like a head of state, with armed guards and military surveillance, in a temperature-controlled vault. Masterminding the entire show was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who tirelessly campaigned to persuade National Gallery Director John Walker, French President Charles de Gaulle, and her own husband to debut the legendary smile here. For 88 charmed days, Lisa Fever swept the nation as nearly two million Americans attended exhibits in Washington, D. C. and New York. It was the greatest outpouring of appreciation for a single work of art in American history. And as only Jacqueline Kennedy could do, she infused Americas first museum blockbuster show with a unique sense of pageantry, igniting a national love affair with the arts. Gathering rare archival documents and interviews, acclaimed biographer Margaret Leslie Davis has woven a tantalizing saga, filled with international intrigue and the irresistible charm of Camelot and its queen.Product Details
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The 1963 American exhibition of the Mona Lisa in New York City and Washington, D.C., was America's first blockbuster art show, and Davis recounts in numbing detail the negotiations, preparations, flummoxes and successes of the exhibit. The exhibition was masterminded by the diplomatically savvy Mrs. Kennedy, whose personal relationships with French cultural minister André Malraux and National Gallery director John Walker overcame negative French press and concerns over subjecting a fragile artwork to a transatlantic journey. Heavily guarded and packed in a custom strong box, the Mona Lisa traveled in a first-class cabin on the USS France. Though Walker planned the exhibit with military precision, the opening ceremony was chaotic, and the painting was badly hung and poorly lit. Although Davis's (Rivers in the Desert) tale of the inner workings of a major art exhibition has its moments, it's undermined by padding (like the text of an imagined interview of LaGioconda by a newspaper reporter with nothing to report) and the author's fawning over Jackie. 16 pages of b&w photos. (Nov. 15)
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Review
Davis (The Culture Broker, 2007, etc.) chronicles the surpassingly popular 1962 - 63 exhibition of Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa in Washington, D.C., and New York.Not everyone was happy, she notes. The French worried about transporting their treasure across the Atlantic in winter via passenger ship, and indeed the S.S. France was briefly beset by a strong storm, though it and the painting emerged unscathed. National Gallery director John Walker, placed in charge by President Kennedy, worried about security arrangements and feared possible damage to the fragile Renaissance painting. Davis carefully follows the story from the initial idea for the loan, to the negotiations, the arrangements, the transportation, the displays, the return to France and the aftermath. The President and First Lady were popular in France, and Jackie's patent fondness for all things French endeared her abroad even as it raised eyebrows here. But the Kennedys were nothing if not experts at managing their images, the author ably shows. During their short tenure in the White House they endeavored to elevate the cultural life of the nation - a noble educational attempt that was making some progress when bullets ended it all in Dallas. Charmed by Jackie, French cultural minister Andre Malraux supported the loan. Madeleine Hours, head of the Louvre's laboratory, argued against it, but once she knew she had no other choice did all she could to assure the painting's stability and safety in transit. Davis is careful to provide all the principals' back stories, humanizing the adventure in a pleasing way. But her prose and attitude are equally hyperbolic: Favored adjectives include stupendous, brilliant and remarkable, and only the most feverish Jackie lovers will be thrilled by the author's breathless paragraphs about the First Lady's wardrobe.An evocation of a time when America's leaders were proud of their "elitist" cultural tastes and fearless about inviting the citizenry to share them. (Kirkus Reviews)
Review
USA Today, 12/11/08
“Davis tells the tale in charming fashion.”
Customer Reviews
JACKIE KENNEDY: THE WOMAN COULD GIVE A MASTER CLASS IN CHARM
I read an excert of this book in Vanity Fair and was totally captivated. I was shocked that I had never heard this story, I mean i was not born when this all took place, but still I was shocked I had not ever known that the Mona Lisa came to America. This book is fascinating, I knew that Jackie was charming, but to get De Gaulle to allow this French treasure to leave the Louve is stunning. The background on how it was transported over is simply amazing. If I had not seen the pictures in this book, I honestly would not have believed that the Mona Lisa was exhibited in the National Gallery. Jackie's singular effort to get the epitome of French national pride to leave her shores is a master class in charm. This is a great read, I recommend it to anyone with any interest in the Kennedy years or just appreciates a great read. I tell you one thing, Caroline obviously didnt get her Mothers inate charm..it all went to John John.
Terrific!
What a terrific book about an incident that most people might not remember happening. I sped through the book in 2 sittings - utterly fascinating and a page-turner.
Kudos to the author for bringing this part of "Camelot" to its historical importance.
Engrossing and charming
This was a very engrossing account of how the Mona Lisa made it to the United States for public viewing during Camelot. The details of Jacqueline Kennedy's plan and the implementation of that plan were extremely interesting as I was a child of the sixties (but sadly did not live near D.C. to view the Mona Lisa). I was also fascinated with the First Lady's mutually adoring relationship with the French cultural minister, Andre Malraux, and her relationship with the National Gallery of Art Director, John Walker. The personality elements of these two men were almost as much fun as reading about how the First Lady managed to produce a marvelous tour guide/booklet for the public visitors to the White House. The idea of which, was hatched in 1941 when she visited the White House as a citizen and took that standard tour with her mother and sister. The real heroine of the book, however, was Mona Lisa, who even today, remains a mysterious enchantress.
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