Goteborg Hosts World Premiere for Newly Discovered Da Vinci

GOTEBORG, Sweden, April 8, 2010 /PRNewswire/ --

- Newly Discovered da Vinci at Rare Art Exhibition

A recently discovered Leonardo da Vinci painting (sold in 2007 for $19,000, and now valued at GBP100 million) is on display for the first time at an exhibition in Gothenburg, Sweden. The exhibition will feature around 50 original masterpieces by Michelangelo, Raphael, da Vinci and other renaissance artists. Some of the works have never been shown in public before.

The exhibition "And There Was Light", opened its doors in Gothenburg, West Sweden, on March 20th. The recently discovered da Vinci painting, 'La Bella Principessa', which portrays a young woman in profile, was sold in 2007 to Canadian-born art collector Peter Silverman for $19,000. Silverman had the piece tested and examined by experts after suspecting it was the work of a more prestigious painter. Techniques such as comparing finger prints confirmed Silverman's suspicions, though nothing could have prepared him for the monumental discovery that was made. The painting is now valued at GBP100 million.

One of the experts to make the discovery was Alessandro Vezzosi, director of the Leonardo da Vinci museum in Tuscany and the artistic director of "And There Was Light". In Gothenburg, he will work alongside Francesco Buranelli, the scientific director of the exhibition.

Throughout their lifetimes, the three masters were fierce rivals as they struggled to compete for both commissions and fame. 500 years later, this exhibition will "describe the relationship and rivalry between these three Italian Renaissance geniuses, how their lives were interwoven during the late 15th and early 16th centuries and how they and their apprentices have influenced art," says Mr. Vezzosi.

The exhibition "And There Was Light" will be touring the world, starting in Gothenburg, Sweden from March 20th to August 15th. The exhibition will be held in Eriksbergshallen, exhibition hall in a former shipyard area, on the northern banks of Gota River in central Gothenburg.

Additional information and multimedia materials, including video of the paintings and the opening of the exhibition, can be found here: http://inr.mediaseed.tv/goteborg_37336

Contact:

Mats Ronngard, Excellent Exhibitions, +46(0)708-72-82-50, [email protected]

Stefan Gadd, Goteborg & Co Media Center, +46(0)706-26-07-51, [email protected]

Anders Johansson, Goteborg & Co Media Center, +46(0)706-01-16-63, [email protected]

SOURCE Goteborg & Co