Two museums in Milan will return works of art borrowed from Russia following requests for their early return, Italian galleries announced today in a further indication of the wider tensions caused by the invasion of Ukraine.
The Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg wrote at the Palazzo Reale in Milan asking for the return of two paintings – one is the “Portrait of a Young Woman in a Feathered Hat” by the Venetian painter Titian – which he borrowed for the exhibition entitled ” “Titian and the image of women in 16th century Venice.”
“I believe the two works will be returned by the end of March,” said museum director Domenico Piraina, adding that he could not oppose the request.
“Titian’s work is certainly important, but the exhibition can go on without it,” he said.
The exhibition started on February 23 and will last until June 5.
“When I read the letter I was bitter, because culture should be protected from war, but times are difficult,” Piraina added.
The Galerie d ‘Italia, which runs another museum in Milan, said it had received a request for the return of 23 works – out of the nearly 200 included in the current exhibition entitled “The Great Tour, Italy’s Dream from Venice to Pompeii” which are loans from three Russian museums.
“They will be returned before the exhibition closes on March 27,” said a spokesman for Intesa Sanpaolo, the bank that owns the gallery.
The Rome-based Fendi Foundation and another museum in the northern city of Udine have received similar requests.
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
