Italian President Napolitano views Tavola Doria at Quirinal Palace
ROME, Italy: President Giorgio Napolitano of the Italian Republic and his wife, Clio Maria Bittoni, viewed the “Tavola Doria,” a 16th-century oil on panel painting that the Tokyo Fuji Art Museum donated to Italy. The painting was exhibited in a special hall of the Quirinal Palace, the Italian president’s official residence.
Speaking with TFAM Director Akira Gokita, who was in Rome to attend the special event, President Napolitano said he was grateul to TFAM for its donation of the Tavola Doria, which he believed would contribute to the advancement of Italian culture. In addition, he expressed hope that the agreement of long-term cooperation between TFAM and the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, would reinforce the bonds of friendship between Italy and Japan.
The special event was a precursor to a public viewing at the Quirinal Palace, which is scheduled to run until January 13, 2013. The exhibition also features a digital imagery system in which sketches by Leonard da Vinci are displayed and viewers may call up scientific research and examination of the displayed work, enabling them to juxtapose the Tavola Doria with related da Vinci artworks.
