Migrating Mona Lisa and a $50 van Gogh: Two controversies that have the art world in hysterics



Two controversies have just flipped the art world on its head: The “Mona Lisa” is apparently leaving the Louvre in Paris, France, and a long-lost van Gogh painting has experts at odds.

Pat Gray and the “Unleashed” team unpack the reports.

The Louvre — once “the most famous, most exclusive art museum in the world” — has apparently become “a run-down dump,” says Pat. “Paint is peeling off the walls; the temperature control system isn’t working … which can ruin the art.”

France’s President Emmanuel Macron has announced that renovations are under way, with a special space being created for da Vinci’s masterpiece.

However, Francesca Caruso, the regional assessor for culture of Italy’s Lombardy region, has since suggested that the painting be returned to its original home in Italy.

“Leonardo represents Italian genius. Milan would be an ideal location to display the work,” she wrote, noting that the Winter Olympics, which Milan will host, is just a year away and is sure to elevate tourism.

On the other hand, a French king — Francis I — purchased the “Mona Lisa” in 1519. It has been hanging in France’s Louvre for over 200 years.

Regardless of who ends up with one of the art world's greatest treasures, it’s likely that this tug-of-war wouldn’t be happening if France were a thriving nation — that is, it did not open its borders and implement socialism.

“You open the door to socialist policies, you put your country in a position to pay for everything, you don't have a big enough tax base for this utopia, so … you have to import cheap labor from third-world countries, and here they come from North Africa and the Middle East, and what do you got? You got an entire continent that's been overrun,” says Keith Malinak.

The second controversy that’s shaking up the art world involves a long-lost van Gogh painting that was purchased for $50 in 2016 at a garage sale in Minnesota. It took expert analysts at the New York-based LMI group years and $30,000 to verify its authenticity, but their recently released 450-page report has declared that it is indeed a product of the Dutch Post-Impressionist master.

Titled “Elimar” after an inscription on the front of the canvas, the work is believed by the art data science firm to belong to Saint-Rémy, now called Clinique van Gogh — a collection of paintings van Gogh made during his year-long stint at Saint-Paul sanitarium, during which he was a self-admitted patient.

However, the Van Gogh Museum, the ultimate authority on van Gogh paintings, has denied the attribution to the Post-Impressionist painter, deeming the LMI group’s report insufficient.

The painting is “thought to be worth over $15 million” and will soon be up for auction, says Pat, calling the entire ordeal “bizarre.”

To hear more on these two art controversies, watch the clip above.

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When in Italy: Zipping to Lake Como in an Alfa Romeo Giulia



EV mandate? Not so fast.

Last week, the House passed a resolution rejecting the Biden administration's rule imposing strict new emissions standards for American carmakers. The rule would go into effect starting with 2027 model year vehicles.

As we wait for the Senate to vote on the resolution, I thought I'd share my five roadblocks to an all-EV future.

1. Cost

These vehicles to tend to be expensive — and I'm not just talking sticker price. Insurance and maintenance expenses are generally higher as well. This is a huge sticking point for many American consumers.

2. Inconvenience

Until charging stations are as plentiful as gas pumps, many consumers are going to stick with what they know. Finding a charging station simply needs to be much easier and more convenient — especially for those who lack a home charger.

3. China

Our biggest rival is going all-in on cheap EVs, which are being manufactured just across the border in Mexico. If they're able to take advantage of North American trade rules, they could flood the market with low-priced EV options. This could be an "extinction level event" for the American car industry.

4. Consumer choice

Consumers — especially American consumers — don't like being told what to buy. You want people to want EVs? Start by fixing numbers 1 and 2 above. Even if you do, some people are still going to want combustion engines. And that should be OK.

5. Hybrids

Who wants an EV when you can have a hybrid? The phrase "best of both worlds" comes to mind. Or here's a novel thought: Why not let us take our pick among EVs, internal combustion engine vehicles, and hybrids? Sounds like a win-win-win to me.

'Como' va?

In other news, I've been in Italy, where EV more often indicates "extra-virgin" olive oil than it does electric vehicle.

I had the pleasure of test driving the 2024 Alfa Romeo Giulia Veloce from Milan to Lake Como. Not only is the drive incredibly scenic, it's perfect for putting the Giulia through its paces, with narrow roads and hairpin turns getting the most out of its crisp handling.

The Giulia's a beauty too, which makes the stunning northern Italian countryside the perfect backdrop.

For my full report on the journey — and how the Giulia handled it — check out my video below:

- YouTube youtu.be

Models pelted with garbage during fashion show to simulate online hate and 'verbal brutality'



A Milan fashion show featured clothing models having trash — including food and drinks — thrown at them by audience members in an effort by the designer to simulate online commentary.

Designer Beate Karlsson created the new, garbage-covered line for Avavav, for which she is the creative director. The company describes itself as an independent fashion house "striving for creative freedom, driven by humor, entertainment and design evolution."

Creative freedom might be an understatement for Karlsson's recent show during Milan Fashion Week, where models had drinks, discarded food wrappers, and other garbage thrown at them on the runway.

The performance art was meant to simulate online trolling and an attempt to get out ahead of any hate Karlsson may face for her choice of clothing design.

"Hate comments and internet trolls have become a part of modern culture," a statement from the company read. "The show is an experiment where this verbal brutality is translated into a physical space, and hopefully shows that it isn’t necessarily a reflection of reality."

Aside from the cups of coffee and occasional can, the show also featured social media comments running on a constant feed behind the models.

"Wow this is really bad guys I'm sorry," one comment read as the designer was on stage.

Other comments said "It's giving p**s" and "who the f**k came up with this."

"So bad," and "that ain't fashion," other comments read.

It is unclear however whether the comments were real or meant to simulate online commentary the brand may receive. Given that some of the purported online handles were listed as "username1100" and "username3746," it could have been either or a mixture of both.

Videos posted to X showed photographers surrounded by standing audience members who threw the trash at the models as they reached the end of the runway. At the same time, generic, industrial hip-hop beats played throughout the venue to set the scene.

Designer Karlsson was not held to a higher standard than the models, though, as when she came onto the runway for the tradition of the designer closing out the show, she was pelted in the face with a pie by an apparent staff member who then ran off stage.

The trashiest show at Milan Fashion Week hosted by AVAVAV \ud83e\udd67
— (@)

"Soiling high-end models with real trash and juice as a metaphor for the online hate the designer receives feels like some art world equivalent of a hiring a whipping boy," blogger and stand-up comedian Francis Ellis remarked. "Sure, she took the pie to the face in the end. But that's goofy, expected, and delicious," he added.

This wasn't Karlsson's first foray into obscure performance art. In a 2022 show that featured thigh-high fur boots, each model purposely fell to the ground on the runway.

“I wanted to do a parody of a fashion show to go with the pathetic theme of this collection, and of fashion’s extreme superficiality, at a time when so many people fake richness at the risk of falling down hard," she said at the time, according to Dazed.

AVAVAV Spring/Summer 2023 \u2018Filthy Rich\u2019 Runway Show by Beate Karlsson.
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Much of Avavav's clothing can be described as futuristic or even Kanye West-esque, featuring over-exaggerated, all-black garments that cover the entire body. The brand also released gigantic, lizard-style boots with individual toe holes.

While Karlsson's messaging isn't particularly bad, it certainly makes it difficult to tell if her entire brand's purpose is to mock the fashion industry as a whole.

Extended Jacket and Pants with Finger Feet Sandals, designed by Beate Karlsson for AVAVAV.
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