Both versions of "Madonna in the Rocks" by Leonardo will be together for the first time

British National Gallery and The louvre museum announced the start of a unique collaboration in which both versions of Madonna in the Rocks first appear together. Both paintings will be displayed in London at the exhibition “Leonardo da Vinci: an artist at the court in Milan” at the National Gallery, from November 9, 2011 to February 5, 2012.

In a couple of months - this time in the Louvre - as part of the exposition “Saint Anna Leonardo da Vinci”, the restored “Saint Anna with the Madonna and Child Christ” will be exhibited in conjunction with the sketch “Saint Anna with the Madonna, Child Jesus and John the Baptist” from the National Gallery from March 29 to June 25, 2012.

These two exhibitions will shed light on Leonardo da Vinci in the role of the artist and will give unprecedented clarity to this matter. It will be an unprecedented and unique opportunity to study and understand his work in their artistic context.

The collaboration between the two museums takes into account the scientific ambitions of the organizers and the research potential of the exhibitions. The Louvre and the National Gallery are sure that the comparison paintings by Leonardo It will be extremely interesting to the general public. All these factors convinced museums to exchange masterpieces for the first time. It is possible that such shares will be repeated in the future.

Director of the National Gallery, Dr. Nicholas Penny: “We are extremely pleased and very grateful to our colleagues from the Louvre Museum for the opportunity to lend their illustrious painting. This is part of the extraordinary collaboration between the National Gallery and the painting department in the Louvre Museum. I am sure that the joint demonstration "I will make an indelible impression of these masterpieces. I am glad that rich soil for comparison will be presented at both exhibitions."

Director of the Louvre Museum, Henry Loyrette: “This unique collaboration between the London National Gallery and the Louvre Museum allowed for a historic joint exhibition of two well-known versions of“ Madonna in the Rocks ”and“ St. Anne with the Madonna and Child Christ ”that Leonardo da Vinci dreamed of "generations of art historians, and which, of course, will charm modern museum visitors. Our collections complement each other, so our exchange will be priceless and immeasurably fruitful."