Mona Lisa Replicas And Reinterpretations
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Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci (15 April 1452 - 2 May 1519) was an Italian polymath of the High Renaissance who was active as a painter, draughtsman, engineer, scientist, theorist, sculptor, and architect. While his fame initially rested o ...
's ''
Mona Lisa The ''Mona Lisa'' is a half-length portrait painting by the Italian artist Leonardo da Vinci. Considered an archetypal masterpiece of the Italian Renaissance, it has been described as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, ...
'' is one of the most recognizable and famous works of art in the world, and one of the most replicated and reinterpreted. ''Mona Lisa'' studio versions, copies or replicas were already being painted during Leonardo's lifetime by his own students and contemporaries. Some are claimed to be the work of Leonardo himself, and remain disputed by scholars. Prominent 20th-century artists such as
Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, ; ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, Futurism and conceptual art. He is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Pica ...
and
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
have also produced derivative works, manipulating ''Mona Lisa'' image to suit their own aesthetic. Replicating
Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) is a Periodization, period of history and a European cultural movement covering the 15th and 16th centuries. It marked the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and was characterized by an effort to revive and sur ...
masterpieces continues to be a way for aspiring artists to perfect their painting techniques and prove their skills. Contemporary ''Mona Lisa'' replicas are often created in conjunction with events or exhibitions related to Leonardo da Vinci, for publicity. Her
portrait A portrait is a painting, photograph, sculpture, or other artistic representation of a person, in which the face is always predominant. In arts, a portrait may be represented as half body and even full body. If the subject in full body better r ...
,
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
and outside of
copyright A copyright is a type of intellectual property that gives its owner the exclusive legal right to copy, distribute, adapt, display, and perform a creative work, usually for a limited time. The creative work may be in a literary, artistic, ...
protection, has also been used to make
political statement The term political statement is used to refer to a communication which makes commentary on an issue of political, identity or social significance. There is no limit on the form a political statement may take - they may be written, verbal, constitut ...
s. Aside from countless print-reproductions of Leonardo's original ''Mona Lisa'' on postcards, coffee mugs and T-shirts, her likeness has also been re-imagined using coffee, toast, seaweed, Rubik's Cubes, and computer chips, to name only a few. Now over five-hundred years since her creation, the perpetuation of ''Mona Lisa'' influence is reinforced with every reinterpretation.


Background

At the beginning of the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci was commissioned by Florentine nobleman Francesco del Giocondo to paint a portrait of his wife, Lisa. The painting is believed to have been undertaken between 1503 and 1506. Leonardo's portrait of ''Mona Lisa'' ("Mona" or "Monna" being the Italian
honorific An honorific is a title that conveys esteem, courtesy, or respect for position or rank when used in addressing or referring to a person. Sometimes, the term "honorific" is used in a more specific sense to refer to an Honorary title (academic), h ...
for "Madame") has been on display as part of the permanent collection at Paris' Louvre museum since 1797. It is also known as ''La Joconde'' in French and ''La Gioconda'' in Italian. Replicas of ''Mona Lisa'' date back to the 16th century, including sculptures and etchings inspired by the painting. But even by the early 20th century, historian Donald Sassoon has stated, ''Mona Lisa'' was still "just a well-respected painting by a famous
old master In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...
" and was "not even the most valued painting in the Louvre." The painting's theft on August 11, 1911, and the subsequent
media frenzy Media circus is a colloquial metaphor or idiom describing a news event for which the level of media coverage—measured by such factors as the number of reporters at the scene and the amount of material broadcast or published—is perceived to b ...
surrounding the investigation and its recovery ignited public interest and led to the ''Mona Lisa'' gaining its current standing. ''Mona Lisa'' is in the
public domain The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no Exclusive exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly Waiver, waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds ...
and not subject to copyright, whereas some modern works based on the original such as
Marcel Duchamp Henri-Robert-Marcel Duchamp (, ; ; 28 July 1887 – 2 October 1968) was a French painter, sculptor, chess player, and writer whose work is associated with Cubism, Dada, Futurism and conceptual art. He is commonly regarded, along with Pablo Pica ...
's ''
L.H.O.O.Q. ''L.H.O.O.Q.'' () is a work of art by Marcel Duchamp. First conceived in 1919, the work is one of what Duchamp referred to as readymades, or more specifically a rectified ready-made.
'' are protected by copyright law.


Gioconda di Montecitorio

A 16th Century replica, named ''Gioconda di Montecitorio'' or Gioconda Torlonia hangs in the
Chamber of Deputies (Italy) The Chamber of Deputies () is the lower house of the bicameral Italian Parliament, the upper house being the Senate of the Republic. The two houses together form a perfect bicameral system, meaning they perform identical functions, but do so ...
, acquired from the collection of the Torlonia family. Following a restoration, some scholars assert that Leonardo made it as a replica of the original, while others dispute that conclusion.


Isleworth ''Mona Lisa''

A version of the ''Mona Lisa'' known as the ''
Isleworth Mona Lisa The ''Isleworth Mona Lisa'' is an early 16th-century oil on canvas painting depicting the same subject as Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'', though with the subject (Lisa del Giocondo) depicted as being a younger age. The painting is thought to ...
'' and the ''Earlier Mona Lisa'' was first bought by an English nobleman in 1778 and was rediscovered in 1913 by Hugh Blaker, an art connoisseur. The painting was presented to the media in 2012 by the Mona Lisa Foundation. The current scholarly consensus on attribution is unclear. Some experts, including
Frank Zöllner Frank Zöllner (born 26 June 1956) is a German art historian. He is among the leading authorities on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci, about whom he has written numerous publications. These include book-length studies on the ''Mona Lisa'' ...
,
Martin Kemp Martin John Kemp (born 10 October 1961) is an English musician and actor, best known as the bassist in the new wave band Spandau Ballet and for his role as Steve Owen in ''EastEnders''. He is the younger brother of Gary Kemp, who is also a ...
and
Luke Syson Luke Syson is an English museum curator and art historian. Since 2019, he has been the director of the Fitzwilliam Museum at the University of Cambridge, prior to which he held positions at the British Museum (1991–2002), the Victoria and Albe ...
denied the attribution; professors such as Salvatore Lorusso, Andrea Natali, and John F Asmus supported it; others like
Alessandro Vezzosi Alessandro Vezzosi is an Italian art critic, Leonardo scholar, artist, expert on interdisciplinary studies and creative museology, he is also the author of hundreds of exhibits, publications and conferences, in Italy and abroad (from the United St ...
and
Carlo Pedretti Carlo Pedretti (6 January 1928 – 5 January 2018) was an Italian art historian. In his lifetime, he was considered one of the world's leading experts on the life and works of Leonardo da Vinci. He was a professor of art history and Armand Hamme ...
were uncertain.


Prado ''Mona Lisa''

In 2011, the
Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...
in
Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
, Spain, announced discovery of what may be the earliest known replica. Miguel Falomir, heading the Department of Italian Renaissance Painting at the time of the discovery, stated the Prado "had no idea of (the painting's) significance" until a recent restoration. Recovered from the Prado's vaults, the replica – which El Mundo newspaper dubbed "''Mona Lisa'' twin" (''above, far right'') – was reportedly painted simultaneously alongside Leonardo as he painted his own ''Mona Lisa''; in the same studio, by a "key" student. It was painted on walnut. The replica has been part of the Prado's collection since the museum's founding in 1819. After restoration, the Prado's ''Mona Lisa'' revealed details covered by previous restorations and layers of varnish. Furnishings and fabrics were enhanced, as well as landscape and facial features. It is anticipated that such revelations may offer further insight into Leonardo's original. Experts at the Louvre reportedly supported the Prado museum's findings. The Prado replica was subsequently transported to the Louvre in 2012 to be displayed next to ''Mona Lisa'' as part of a temporary exhibition.


''Hermitage Mona Lisa''

A version known as the '' Hermitage Mona Lisa'' is in the
Hermitage Museum The State Hermitage Museum ( rus, Государственный Эрмитаж, r=Gosudarstvennyj Ermitaž, p=ɡəsʊˈdarstvʲɪn(ː)ɨj ɪrmʲɪˈtaʂ, links=no) is a museum of art and culture in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and holds the large ...
. It was made by an unknown 16th-century artist. The good workmanship, legibility and expressiveness emanating from the work were pointed out, the execution of portrait is presumably of Nordic Europe derivation, in particular German-Flemish.


''Mona Vanna''

Two nude paintings bearing similarities to Leonardo da Vinci's original were part of a 2009 exhibition of artwork inspired by ''Mona Lisa''. Displayed at the Museo Ideale in Leonardo's hometown of Vinci, near
Florence Florence ( ; ) is the capital city of the Italy, Italian region of Tuscany. It is also the most populated city in Tuscany, with 362,353 inhabitants, and 989,460 in Metropolitan City of Florence, its metropolitan province as of 2025. Florence ...
, some believe one of the paintings – dating from Leonardo's time – to be the work of Leonardo himself, and it has at times been credited to him. Other experts theorize the painting, one of at least six known to exist, may be just another copy painted by "followers" of Leonardo. Scholarly dispute persists as to artist, subject and origin. The nude in question, discovered behind a wall in a private library, reportedly belonged to an uncle of
Napoleon Bonaparte Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, who owned another of Leonardo's paintings. Facial features bear only vague resemblance, but landscape, compositional and technical details correspond to those of the ''Mona Lisa'' known worldwide today. A student and companion of Leonardo da Vinci known as
Salaì Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salaì (1480 – 19 January 1524) was an Italian artist and pupil of Leonardo da Vinci from 1490 to 1518. Salaì entered Leonardo's household at the age of ten. Salai created paintings under the na ...
painted one of the nude interpretations of ''Mona Lisa'' known, titled ''Mona Vanna''. Salai's version is thought by some to have been "based on" the nude sometimes attributed to Leonardo, which is considered a lost work. Discussion among experts exists as to whether Salai, known to have modeled for Leonardo, may in fact have been the sitter represented in the original ''Mona Lisa''. Another nude also known as ''Mona Vanna'' is generally attributed to
Joos van Cleve Joos van Cleve (; also Joos van der Beke; c. 1485–1490 – 1540/1541) was a leading painter active in Antwerp from his arrival there around 1511 until his death in 1540 or 1541. Within Dutch and Flemish Renaissance painting, he combines the tr ...
, a Flemish artist active in the years following ''Mona Lisa'' creation. Though the figure portrayed in van Cleve's painting bears no resemblance to Leonardo's ''Mona Lisa'', the artist was known to mimic themes and techniques of Leonardo da Vinci. The artwork, dating to the mid-16th century, is in the collection of the
National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...
,
Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...
.


20th century

By the 20th century, ''Mona Lisa'' had already been a victim of satirical embellishment. ''Sapeck'' (Eugène Bataille), in 1883, depicted ''Mona Lisa'' smoking a pipe. Titled ''Le Rire'' (The Laugh), the artwork was displayed at the "
Incoherents The Incoherents (''Les Arts incohérents'') was a short-lived French art movement founded by Parisian writer and publisher (1857–1935) in 1882, which in its satirical irreverence, anticipated many of the art techniques and attitudes later asso ...
" exhibition in Paris at the time of its creation, making it among the earliest known instances of ''Mona Lisa'' image being re-interpreted using contemporary
irony Irony, in its broadest sense, is the juxtaposition of what, on the surface, appears to be the case with what is actually or expected to be the case. Originally a rhetorical device and literary technique, in modernity, modern times irony has a ...
. Further interpretations by
avant-garde In the arts and literature, the term ''avant-garde'' ( meaning or ) identifies an experimental genre or work of art, and the artist who created it, which usually is aesthetically innovative, whilst initially being ideologically unacceptable ...
artists beginning in the early 20th century, coinciding with the artwork's theft, attest to ''Mona Lisa'' popularity as an irresistible target.
Dada Dada () or Dadaism was an anti-establishment art movement that developed in 1915 in the context of the Great War and the earlier anti-art movement. Early centers for dadaism included Zürich and Berlin. Within a few years, the movement had s ...
ists and
Surrealist Surrealism is an art movement, art and cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists aimed to allow the unconscious mind to express itself, often resulting in the depiction of illogical or dreamlike s ...
s were quick to modify, embellish and
caricature A caricature is a rendered image showing the features of its subject in a simplified or exaggerated way through sketching, pencil strokes, or other artistic drawings (compare to: cartoon). Caricatures can be either insulting or complimentary, ...
''Mona Lisa'' visage.


''L.H.O.O.Q.''

Marcel Duchamp, among the most influential artists of his generation, in 1919 may have inadvertently set the standard for modern manifestations of ''Mona Lisa'' simply by adding a goatee to an existing postcard print of Leonardo's original. Duchamp pioneered the concept of ''readymades'', which involves taking mundane objects not generally considered to be art and transforming them artistically, sometimes by simply renaming them and placing them in a gallery setting. In ''L.H.O.O.Q.'' the "found object" is a ''Mona Lisa'' postcard onto which Duchamp drew a goatee in pencil and appended the title. The title, Duchamp is said to have admitted in his later years, is a pun. The letters L-H-O-O-Q pronounced in French form the sentence ''Elle a chaud au cul'',
colloquially Colloquialism (also called ''colloquial language'', ''colloquial speech'', ''everyday language'', or ''general parlance'') is the linguistic style used for casual and informal communication. It is the most common form of speech in conversation am ...
translating into English as "She has a hot ass." As was the case with many of his readymades, Duchamp made multiple versions of ''L.H.O.O.Q.'' in varying sizes and media throughout his career. An unmodified black and white reproduction of ''Mona Lisa'' on a playing-card, onto which Duchamp in 1965 inscribed ''LHOOQ rasée'' (''LHOOQ Shaved''), is among many ''second-generation'' variants referencing the original ''L.H.O.O.Q''. Duchamp's parody of ''Mona Lisa'' was itself parodied by
Francis Picabia Francis Picabia (: born Francis-Marie Martinez de Picabia; 22January 1879 – 30November 1953) was a French avant-garde painter, writer, filmmaker, magazine publisher, poet, and typography, typographist closely associated with Dada. When consid ...
in 1942, annotated ''Tableau Dada Par Marcel Duchamp'' ("Dadaist Scene for Marcel Duchamp"), another example of ''second-generation'' interpretations of ''Mona Lisa''.
Salvador Dalí Salvador Domingo Felipe Jacinto Dalí i Domènech, Marquess of Dalí of Púbol (11 May 190423 January 1989), known as Salvador Dalí ( ; ; ), was a Spanish Surrealism, surrealist artist renowned for his technical skill, precise draftsmanship, ...
created his ''Self Portrait as Mona Lisa'' in 1954, referencing ''L.H.O.O.Q.'' in collaboration with
Philippe Halsman Philippe Halsman (; ; 2 May 1906 – 25 June 1979) was an American portrait photographer. He was born in Riga in the part of the Russian Empire which later became Latvia, and died in New York City. Life and work Halsman was born in Riga to a Jew ...
, incorporating his photographs of a wild-eyed Dalí showing his
handlebar moustache A handlebar moustache is a moustache with particularly lengthy and upwardly curved extremities. These moustache styles are named for their resemblance to the handlebars of a bicycle. It is also known as a spaghetti moustache, because of its ste ...
and a handful of coins. In 1958,
Iceland Iceland is a Nordic countries, Nordic island country between the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans, on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge between North America and Europe. It is culturally and politically linked with Europe and is the regi ...
ic painter
Erró Erró (born Guðmundur Guðmundsson in 1932 in Ólafsvík, Iceland) is a visual artist and painter, who is best known for his painted pop art collages of images from comic books and advertisements.
then incorporated Dalí's version into a composition which also included a film-still from Dalí's ''
Un Chien Andalou (, ''An Andalusian Dog'') is a 1929 French silent short film directed, produced and edited by Luis Buñuel, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Salvador Dalí. Buñuel's first film, it was initially released in a limited capacity at Studio ...
''.
Fernand Léger Joseph Fernand Henri Léger (; February 4, 1881 – August 17, 1955) was a French painting, painter, sculpture, sculptor, and film director, filmmaker. In his early works he created a personal form of cubism (known as "tubism") which he gradually ...
and
René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgium, Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature ...
are among the numbers of
Modern art Modern art includes artistic work produced during the period extending roughly from the 1860s to the 1970s, and denotes the styles and philosophies of the art produced during that era. The term is usually associated with art in which the tradit ...
masters who've adapted ''Mona Lisa'' using their own iconography. None of the parodies have tarnished ''Mona Lisa'' image; rather, they reinforce her fame. Duchamp's ''mustached'' ''Mona Lisa'' embellishment continues to inspire imitation. Contemporary conceptual artist
Subodh Gupta Subodh Gupta (born 1964) is an Indian contemporary artist based in New Delhi. His work encompasses sculpture, installation art, installation, painting, photography, performance art, performance and video art, video. Early life and education G ...
gave ''L.H.O.O.Q.'' three-dimensional form in his 2009 bronze sculpture '' Et tu, Duchamp?'' Gupta, from India, considers himself an "idol thief" and has reinterpreted a number of iconic works from European art history.


Post-tour years (1962–2000)

In December 1962,
André Malraux Georges André Malraux ( ; ; 3 November 1901 – 23 November 1976) was a French novelist, art theorist, and minister of cultural affairs. Malraux's novel ''La Condition Humaine'' (''Man's Fate'') (1933) won the Prix Goncourt. He was appointed ...
, the first French minister of cultural affairs, lent the ''Mona Lisa'' to the United States at the request of First Lady
Jacqueline Kennedy Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American writer, book editor, and socialite who served as the first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A popular f ...
. The painting was displayed at the
National Gallery of Art The National Gallery of Art is an art museum in Washington, D.C., United States, located on the National Mall, between 3rd and 9th Streets, at Constitution Avenue NW. Open to the public and free of charge, the museum was privately established in ...
in Washington, D.C. from January 9 to February 3, 1963. Then it was exhibited at the
Metropolitan Museum of Art The Metropolitan Museum of Art, colloquially referred to as the Met, is an Encyclopedic museum, encyclopedic art museum in New York City. By floor area, it is the List of largest museums, third-largest museum in the world and the List of larg ...
in New York from February 7 to March 4, 1963. Radio personality
Bruce Morrow Bruce Morrow (born Bruce Meyerowitz; October 13, 1935) is an American radio performer, publicly known as Cousin Brucie or Cousin Bruce Morrow. In an October 2020 interview, Morrow said he received the moniker "Cousin" while in the lobby of h ...
presided over a promotional event during ''Mona Lisa'' exhibition in New York City. 70,000 entries of a "Best Mona" painting contest were exhibited at the
Polo Grounds The Polo Grounds was the name of three stadiums in Upper Manhattan, New York City, used mainly for professional baseball and American football from 1880 to 1963. The original Polo Grounds, opened in 1876 and demolished in 1889, was built for the ...
, with Salvador Dalí helping to pick the winner. During the painting's first American presentation in 1963,
Fernando Botero Fernando Botero Angulo (19 April 1932 – 15 September 2023) was a Colombian figurative artist and sculptor. His signature style, also known as "Boterismo", depicts people and figures in large, exaggerated volume, which can represent political ...
—who had already painted ''Mona Lisa, Age Twelve'' in 1959—painted another ''Mona Lisa'', this time in what would become his trademark "Boterismo" style of rendering figures disproportionately plump.
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
created multiple renditions of ''Mona Lisa'' in his Pop art style. Warhol's works '' Colored Mona Lisa'' (1963), ''Four'' ''Mona Lisa''s (1978), and ''Mona Lisa Four Times'' (1978) illustrate Warhol's method of
silk-screening Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen in a "flood stroke" t ...
an image repetitively within the same work of art. In 1974
Salvatore Fiume Salvatore Fiume (23 October 1915 – 3 June 1997) was an Italian painter, sculptor, architect, writer and stage designer. His works are kept in some of the most important museums in the world, among which the Vatican Museums, the Hermitage of ...
made Gioconda Africana, a tribute to black female beauty: this "Gioconda" was donated to the Vatican and stays in
Vatican Museums The Vatican Museums (; ) are the public museums of the Vatican City. They display works from the immense collection amassed by the Catholic Church and the papacy throughout the centuries, including several of the best-known Roman sculptures and ...
. ''Mona Lisa'' is also referenced in artwork by
Contemporary art Contemporary art is a term used to describe the art of today, generally referring to art produced from the 1970s onwards. Contemporary artists work in a globally influenced, culturally diverse, and technologically advancing world. Their art is a ...
ists including
Jasper Johns Jasper Johns (born May 15, 1930) is an American painter, sculptor, draftsman, and printmaker. Considered a central figure in the development of American postwar art, he has been variously associated with abstract expressionism, Neo-Dada, and ...
and
Robert Rauschenberg Milton Ernest "Robert" or "Bob" Rauschenberg (October 22, 1925 – May 12, 2008) was an American painter and graphic artist whose early works anticipated the Pop art movement. Rauschenberg is well known for his Combine painting, Combines (1954 ...
, adding to the veritable "
who's who A Who's Who (or Who Is Who) is a reference work consisting of biographical entries of notable people in a particular field. The oldest and best-known is the annual publication ''Who's Who (UK), Who's Who'', a reference work on contemporary promin ...
" list of artists putting their own
spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spin (physics) or particle spin, a fundamental property of elementary particles * Spin quantum number, a number which defines the value of a particle's spin * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thr ...
on the portrait. A
paint by number Paint by number or painting by numbers kits are self-contained painting sets, designed to facilitate painting a pre-designed image. They generally include brushes, tubs of paint with numbered labels, and a canvas printed with borders and number ...
s version of ''Mona Lisa'' accompanied artist
Suzanne Lacy Suzanne Lacy (born 1945) is an American artist, educator, writer, and professor at the USC Roski School of Art and Design. She has worked in a variety of media, including installation art, installation, video art, video, performance art, perform ...
during her 1977 travelogue ''Travels with Mona'', documenting the painting process at
landmark A landmark is a recognizable natural or artificial feature used for navigation, a feature that stands out from its near environment and is often visible from long distances. In modern-day use, the term can also be applied to smaller structures ...
locations throughout
Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
and
Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...
. From the 1980s through the end of the 20th Century, ''Mona Lisa'' continued to be the subject of re-interpretation among a new generation of emerging artists.
Neo-expressionist Neo-expressionism is a style of Late modernism, late modernist or early-Postmodern art, postmodern painting and sculpture that emerged in the late 1970s. Neo-expressionists were sometimes called ''Transavantgarde'', ''Junge Wilde'' or ''Neue Wild ...
artist
Jean-Michel Basquiat Jean-Michel Basquiat (; December 22, 1960 – August 12, 1988) was an American artist who rose to success during the 1980s as part of the neo-expressionism movement. Basquiat first achieved notoriety in the late 1970s as part of the graffiti ...
created various depictions such as ''
Crown Hotel (Mona Lisa Black Background) ''Crown Hotel (Mona Lisa Black Background)'' is a 1982 painting created by American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in 1982. The artwork cites Leonardo da Vinci's ''Mona Lisa'' and Édouard Manet's '' Olympia'', two canonical works of western art. I ...
'' (1982), ''Mona Lisa'' (1983), and ''Lye'' (1983). Pop artist
Keith Haring Keith Allen Haring (May 4, 1958 – February 16, 1990) was an American artist whose pop art emerged from the Graffiti in New York City, New York City graffiti subculture of the 1980s. His animated imagery has "become a widely recognized visual l ...
juxtaposed ''Mona Lisa'' in a series of collages: ''Weeping Mona Lisa'' (1988), ''Apocalipse 7'' (1988), and ''Malcolm X'' (1988). Ballpoint art pioneer Lennie Mace created his ''Mona a'la Mace'' replica in 1993, a ballpoint "PENting" commissioned by
Pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
pen company and featured on
CBS News CBS News is the news division of the American television and radio broadcaster CBS. It is headquartered in New York City. CBS News television programs include ''CBS Evening News'', ''CBS Mornings'', news magazine programs ''CBS News Sunday Morn ...
. Artist
Sophie Matisse Sophie Alexina Victoire Matisse (born February 13, 1965) is an American contemporary artist. Matisse initially gained notice for her series of ''Missing Person'' paintings, in which she appropriated and embellished upon, or subtracted from, rec ...
, great-granddaughter of artist
Henri Matisse Henri Émile Benoît Matisse (; 31 December 1869 – 3 November 1954) was a French visual arts, visual artist, known for both his use of colour and his fluid and original draughtsmanship. He was a drawing, draughtsman, printmaking, printmaker, ...
, in her 1997 ''Monna Lisa (Be Back in Five Minutes)'' faithfully replicated the setting of the original painting, but omitted Mona Lisa from the scene; a concept she would repeat using other iconic artworks.


21st century

British street artist
Banksy Banksy is a pseudonymous England-based street artist, political activist, and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive ep ...
in the first decade of the 21st century
stencil Stencilling produces an image or pattern on a surface by applying pigment to a surface through an intermediate object, with designed holes in the intermediate object. The holes allow the pigment to reach only some parts of the surface creatin ...
ed a "''Mona Lisa''
Mujaheddin ''Mujahideen'', or ''Mujahidin'' (), is the plural form of ''mujahid'' (), an Arabic term that broadly refers to people who engage in '' jihad'' (), interpreted in a jurisprudence of Islam as the fight on behalf of God, religion or the commu ...
" holding a rocket launcher, and another
mooning Illustration of a woman raising her dress and mooning a nun (1905) Mooning is the act of displaying one's bare buttocks by removing clothing, e.g., by lowering the backside of one's trousers and underpants, usually bending over, and also pot ...
the viewer. ''Mona Lisa'' was featured as the focus of Will.i.am's song and music video
Mona Lisa Smile ''Mona Lisa Smile'' is a 2003 American drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia R ...
in
Nicole Scherzinger Nicole Prascovia Elikolani Scherzinger ( ; ; born June 29, 1978) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress, and television personality. She was a member of the girl group and dance ensemble the Pussycat Dolls between 2003 and 2010. With ...
was placed in the painting as ''Mona Lisa''.


Contemporary commercialization

''Mona Lisa'' iconic face has been available for years in all forms, appearing in advertisements for fashion and travel industries, and on the cover of magazines. Leonardo da Vinci's own status as ''
genius Genius is a characteristic of original and exceptional insight in the performance of some art or endeavor that surpasses expectations, sets new standards for the future, establishes better methods of operation, or remains outside the capabiliti ...
'' has been suggested as a factor contributing to the mystique of his creation. The eyes of Leonardo's original ''Mona Lisa'' appear within cover-graphics for
Dan Brown Daniel Gerhard Brown (born June 22, 1964) is an American author best known for his Thriller (genre), thriller novels, including the Robert Langdon (book series), Robert Langdon novels ''Angels & Demons'' (2000), ''The Da Vinci Code'' (2003), '' ...
's 2003 novel ''
The Da Vinci Code ''The Da Vinci Code'' is a 2003 mystery thriller novel by Dan Brown. It is “the best-selling American novel of all time.” Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon—the first was his 2000 novel '' Angels & Demons'' ...
''. The ''Mona Lisa'' portrait also appeared in the
teaser trailer A teaser trailer, also shortened to teaser, is a short trailer (promotion), trailer and a form of teaser campaign advertising that focuses on film and television programming. It is a videography pre-release film or television show advertisement. Sh ...
for the 2006 film of the same name, although a replica was used for filming, appears only briefly in the film, and plays a very small part in the story. The sheer number and variety of replicas and reproductions since its creation in the early 16th century illustrates a so-called '' self-reinforcing dynamic''; utilized in advertising because of its familiarity, its fame is reinforced thereby. Painting ''
knock-off A dupe is a product similar in appearance, functionality, or design to a higher-end, often more expensive, branded item but sold at a much lower price. Unlike counterfeit products, dupes do not copy trademarked brand names or logos. Dupe product ...
s'' of ''Mona Lisa'' and other Western masterpieces has become a
cottage industry The putting-out system is a means of subcontracting work, like a tailor. Historically, it was also known as the workshop system and the domestic system. In putting-out, work is contracted by a central agent to subcontractors who complete the p ...
of sorts. Struggling artists in
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
paint them by the hundreds to supply the demand of American and European markets, and ''Mona Lisa'' is among the most popular requests. Working in cramped studios, or at home with children running around, these artists can earn a few hundred dollars (US) for a weeks worth of work on paintings which are then sold retail through mail-order catalogues. Reproducing the works of
old masters In art history, "Old Master" (or "old master")Old Masters De ...
by hand not only provides a way to earn a living but also a way of furthering their art education by perfecting painting techniques. Among the most common motifs for satirization, ''Mona Lisa'' face is embellished upon such as Duchamp adding a mustache. Replacing ''Mona Lisa'' face or head altogether is another common motif; British artist Caroline Shotton in 2007 produced a series of paintings replicating classical works of art as ''cows'', which she would go on to title her "Great ''Moo''-sters" series. The inspiration for the series, she says, came to her while watching a documentary about ''Mona Lisa''. Having settled upon the cow motif, she then formulated puns befitting her chosen subjects; whereby ''Mona Lisa'' became ''Moo''-na Lisa. In the 2003 film ''
Elf An elf (: elves) is a type of humanoid supernatural being in Germanic peoples, Germanic folklore. Elves appear especially in Norse mythology, North Germanic mythology, being mentioned in the Icelandic ''Poetic Edda'' and the ''Prose Edda'' ...
'', Buddy uses an
Etch-a-Sketch Etch A Sketch is a mechanical drawing toy invented by André Cassagnes of France and subsequently manufactured by the Ohio Art Company. It is now owned by Spin Master of Canada. An Etch A Sketch has a thick, flat gray screen in a red plastic fra ...
to draw the Mona Lisa in the process of building Santa Land by the North Pole in
Gimbels Gimbel Brothers (known simply as Gimbels) was an American department store corporation that operated for over a century, from 1842 until 1987. Gimbel patriarch Adam Gimbel opened his first store in Vincennes, Indiana, in 1842. In 1887, the comp ...
. In '' Horton Hears A Who'', the Mayor Ned McDodd shows his only son Jojo a family gallery where in one part his great grandmother is parodied as the Mona Lisa. And in '' My Little Pony: Equestria Girls – Friendship Games'', there is a cake that Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy have baked with a picture of the Mona Lisa inside. In 2012, English actress Kathy Burke portrayed the Mona Lisa in the first series of
Psychobitches ''Psychobitches'' is a Sky Arts British sketch comedy show directed by Jeremy Dyson, in which famous women from history and fiction seek help from a psychologist (played by Rebecca Front). Broadcast history ''Psychobitches'' was originally air ...
.


Unconventional interpretations

''Mona Lisa'' replicas are sometimes directly or indirectly embellished as commentary of contemporary events. Exhibitions or events with ties to Leonardo da Vinci or Renaissance art also provide an opportunity for local artists to exploit ''Mona Lisa'' image toward promoting the events. The resulting artworks represent a broad spectrum of artists using creative license. In a similar vein, artist Kristen Cumings in 2010 created her own "Jelly Bean Mona" replica using over 10,000 jelly beans. The one initial creation led to a full series of eight masterpiece replicas commissioned by a California jelly bean company as a
publicity stunt In marketing, a publicity stunt is a planned event designed to attract the public's attention to the event's organizers or their cause. Publicity stunts can be professionally organized, or set up by amateurs. Such events are frequently utiliz ...
and addition to the company's collection.
Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...
's Center of Science and Industry (COSI) in
Columbus Columbus is a Latinized version of the Italian surname "''Colombo''". It most commonly refers to: * Christopher Columbus (1451–1506), the Italian explorer * Columbus, Ohio, the capital city of the U.S. state of Ohio * Columbus, Georgia, a city i ...
thought the series noteworthy enough to be featured in an exhibition, held at the end of 2012. A replica of ''Mona Lisa'' publicized as the "''world's smallest''" was painted by Andrew Nichols of
New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...
(USA) in 2011, intending "to break the record." Recreated at a 70:1 ratio, the miniature ''Mona Lisa'' measures approximately 1/4 by 7/16 inches (7 by 11 mm). Although his rendition drew media attention, it was never officially reported whether he had, in fact, broken any existing record. In 2013, a far smaller version of the painting, entitled the ''
Mini Lisa The ''Mini Lisa'' is a nanoscale replica of the ''Mona Lisa''. It was created in 2013 by Keith Carroll, a Georgia Institute of Technology PhD candidate, in order to demonstrate a technique called thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL) that was i ...
'', was created by a
Georgia Institute of Technology The Georgia Institute of Technology (commonly referred to as Georgia Tech, GT, and simply Tech or the Institute) is a public university, public research university and Institute of technology (United States), institute of technology in Atlanta, ...
student named Keith Carroll. The replica was created to demonstrate a new scientific technique called
thermochemical nanolithography Thermochemical nanolithography (TCNL) or thermochemical scanning probe lithography (tc-SPL) is a scanning probe microscopy-based nanolithography technique which triggers thermally activated chemical reactions to change the chemical functionality or ...
(TCNL). The ''Mini Lisa'' was just wide, about 1/25,000th the size of the original. High school students attracted media attention in 2011 by recreating ''Mona Lisa'' on
Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach is a coastal Resort town, resort city in Volusia County, Florida, United States. Located on the East Coast of the United States, its population was 72,647 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Deltona ...
(USA), using seaweed which had accumulated on shore. Claiming to have "too much time on their hands," it took two people approximately one hour to "turn the ugly seaweed into a work of art." Aside from photos appearing in the press, presumably their efforts were washed away with the tide. In 2012 the Portuguese designer Luís Silva created a poster for a campaign against violence on women representing Mona Lisa with a sore eye and a sombre expression, with the slogan "Could you live without her smile?"


Mosaics

The computer age introduced digitally-produced or -inspired incarnations of ''Mona Lisa''. Aside from versions constructed of actual computer
motherboard A motherboard, also called a mainboard, a system board, a logic board, and informally a mobo (see #Nomenclature, "Nomenclature" section), is the main printed circuit board (PCB) in general-purpose computers and other expandable systems. It ho ...
s,
mosaic A mosaic () is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/Mortar (masonry), mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and ...
-making techniques are another common motif used in such re-creations. Mimicking the heavy
pixelation In computer graphics, pixelation (also spelled pixellation in British English) is caused by displaying a bitmap or a section of a bitmap at such a large size that individual pixels, small single-colored square display elements that comprise th ...
of a highly magnified computer file,
Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...
artist Robert McKinnon assembled 315 Rubik's Cubes into a 36 by 48 inch ''Mona Lisa'' mosaic, an effect dubbed "Rubik's Cubism" by
French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...
artist
Invader ''InVader'' is the fourth album by Finnish glam metal band Reckless Love Reckless Love is a Finnish rock band formed in Kuopio in 2001. They released their debut album in 2010, which reached number 13 in the Finnish charts. In 2011, they rele ...
. Similarly, colored
Lego Lego (, ; ; stylised as LEGO) is a line of plastic construction toys manufactured by the Lego Group, a privately held company based in Billund, Denmark. Lego consists of variously coloured interlocking plastic bricks made of acrylonitri ...
''bricks'' have been employed to replicate ''Mona Lisa'' in a mosaic motif. A 2011 exhibition titled ''Da Vinci, The Genius'' at the Frazier Museum in
Louisville, Kentucky Louisville is the List of cities in Kentucky, most populous city in the Commonwealth of Kentucky, sixth-most populous city in the Southeastern United States, Southeast, and the list of United States cities by population, 27th-most-populous city ...
attracted attention by having a ''Mona Lisa'' constructed by Lego artist Brian Korte. Known as ''Brick Art'', so-called "pro" Lego builders such as
Eric Harshbarger Eric Harshbarger (born 1971) is an Alabama-based builder of large-scale Lego brick mosaics and sculptures. From around 2000 to 2006 he was commissioned to build for television shows and magazines for promotional purposes. Harshbarger is also we ...
have made multiple replicas of Mona Lisa. Matching the approximate 21 by 30 inch size (535 x 760+ mm) of Leonardo's original requires upwards of 5,000 standard Lego ''bricks'', but replicas measuring 6 by 8 feet have been built, requiring more than 30,000 bricks. Media coverage of the many incarnations of ''Mona Lisa'' often allude to the likely disbelief of Leonardo himself; of the intrigue she would come to inspire, and the unimaginable extremes of her re-portrayal.


See also

*
Cultural references to Leonardo da Vinci Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 – May 2, 1519) was an Italian Renaissance painter and polymath who achieved legendary fame and iconic status within his own lifetime. His renown primarily rests upon his brilliant achievements as a painter ...
* Mona Lisa (disambiguation) *
Salaì Gian Giacomo Caprotti da Oreno, better known as Salaì (1480 – 19 January 1524) was an Italian artist and pupil of Leonardo da Vinci from 1490 to 1518. Salaì entered Leonardo's household at the age of ten. Salai created paintings under the na ...
*
List of works by Leonardo da Vinci The Italian polymath Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) was the founding figure of the High Renaissance, and exhibited enormous influence on subsequent artists. Only around eight major works—'' The Adoration of the Magi'', '' Saint Jerome in the ...


References

{{Mona Lisa Lists of replicas replicas and reinterpretations