mona lisa (c. 1503) by leonardo da vinci

leonardo da vinci’s infamous ‘mona lisa’ is a bit more lively these days. at the world classic multi-media interactive arts exhibition held in beijing’s planning exhibition hall, mona lisa will smile at you, and also have a bit of a chat if you have time. if you wave to her, she is bound to wave back. made possible through the combination of 3-D and holographic technology and sound identification technology. other works of art which have also been transformed into ‘live’ versions are the ‘last supper’ as well as sculptures of venus and apollo.

in the case of images of these major works of art becoming digitalized and manipulated, it is interesting to note that there have been an increase in fraudulent claims within the art world, which are predicted to continue increasing until our current economic situation improves. some of the common issues which are arising include the exaggeration of a work’s value when it has been lost or damaged, art galleries with one of the most ambitious types of art fraud involving attempts to secure insurance for minor works which are presented as masterpieces with large price tags. usually an individual will say he owns an old master painting, or several by a famous artist like leonardo da vinci with accompanying documentation. the aim in these cases for the collectors and galleries are to insure the art for millions and stage their theft, using the insurance policy and obtaining a bank loan with art as collateral.

with the current global economic pressures, international art museums are also experiencing some difficult times. they have seen a reduction in a number of marquee exhibitions and cuts to major loan shows. these are scheduled more than a year in advance, so we won’t see a noticeable change for a while yet, however operating budgets have decreased significantly, and there is the possibility of charging admission fees for special exhibitions. for example, we will never see the louvre loan the ‘mona lisa’ to another museum or gallery, so in these cases institutions are needing to find alternative ways in which to attract patrons, as well as having to reconsider the presentation of pieces from their permanent collection rather than loaning from others because of budget restraints.