Despite the distinction of being the birthplace of Emmanuel Macron, Mayor Brigitte Fouré doubts that Madonna has ever heard of Amiens, a city in northern France halfway between Paris and Lille. However, on Monday, Fouré revealed a connection, asking the singer to consider lending the city a painting she lost during World War I as it tries to become the European Capital of Culture in 2028.
The work, “Diana and Endymion” by the French neoclassical painter Jérôme-Martin Langlois, depicts the Roman goddess of the hunt in love with a shepherd of unsurpassed beauty. She doesn’t have an ordinary story either.
Completed in 1822, it was commissioned by Louis XVIII for the Diana Salon in the Palace of Versailles. Acquired by the French Republic in 1873, the painting hung in a museum in Amiens until 1918, when the Germans heavily bombarded the city.
Madonna poses in front of what is believed to be Diana and Endymion de Langlois.
(Madonna via Instagram)
At that time, the painting disappeared and it was feared that it would be destroyed.
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French newspaper Le Figaro reported Monday that the painting, or a nearly identical one, resurfaced and went on sale at auction in New York in 1989, where Madonna paid $1.3 million for it.
Pop star Madonna performs onstage during a concert June 26, 2001 in Paris, France.
(Patrick Davy/Prestige)
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An Amiens curator only noticed it in 2015 in the background of a photo of Madonna at her home that was published in Paris Match magazine, according to The Guardian.
“This painting is probably a painting that had been lent by the Louvre to the Amiens museum before the First World War and of which we had then lost track,” Fouré explained.
Since the painting is 3 cm smaller than the missing 1918 artwork, there is some doubt as to whether it is the original. However, experts have hypothesized that the discrepancy in size is due to the fact that the signature and date on the painting were removed.
Mayor Brigitte Fouré urged Amiens residents to share their message to Madonna.
(Brigitte Fouré via Facebook)
The Amiens museum has filed a legal complaint for theft against unknown persons, but according to Fouré, this should not worry Madonna.
“We are not going to discuss in any way the legal acquisition that you made of this work. But keep in mind that we are candidates to be the European Capital of Culture in 2028. So, I would like, if on this occasion, in 2028, you could lend us your painting so that the inhabitants can rediscover this work and enjoy it”, said Fouré.
The European Union will announce this year the European Capital of Culture for 2028. The initiative allows selected cities to receive support from the EU to organize a year-long celebration of arts and culture. It is known to help cities develop in various ways, economic or otherwise.
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Madonna has not yet responded to the request. On Tuesday, the singer announced plans for a world tour that would celebrate the entirety of her career. 2023 marks the 40th anniversary of the release of the singer’s first studio album, “Madonna.”
