French city asks Madonna to lend painting lost in war

Virgin Radio

18 Jan 2023, 14:21

Madonna has some art Hung Up on her wall which is sought after by a city in France.

Amiens is in northern France, and is where French President Emmanuel Macron was born. Its mayor, Brigitte Foure, has asked Madonna to lend the city a 19th Century painting which was lost at the end of World War One, in order to help its chances of becoming European Capital of Culture.

The Diana and Endymion, a painting thought to be by Jérôme-Martin Langlois, was commissioned by King Louis XVIII, and once proudly hung at an Amiens museum, having previously been on display at the Louvre. However, it disappeared after Germany bombed the city in 1918. 

But how did it come to be in Madonna’s possession? 

Well, Le Figaro newspaper in France suggested that the painting, or one almost identical to it, turned up in 1989 at a New York auction. And who paid a cool $1.3m for it? Only the Queen of Pop herself. 

Apparently, nobody noticed it at the time, but a few years ago, an eagle-eyed curator from Amiens spotted it in the background of a photograph of Madge at her home. 

It remains uncertain whether Madonna’s painting is the original version or a replica. Regardless, the Amiens mayor has reached out to the massive-selling music star via a Facebook video: “Madonna, you probably haven’t heard of Amiens… but there is a special link between you and our city,” Brigitte Foure says.

“We do not dispute in any way the legal acquisition that you have made but we are candidates to be European Capital of Culture in 2028. So I would like that on this occasion, this year, you could lend us your painting.

“That is my prayer, the wish I am presenting to you.”

This week, Material Girl Madonna sent fans wild by announcing her Celebration Tour 2023, which will feature over four decades of the icon's hits, which includes a UK date in London on 14th October. Full details here.

The tour swings by France, so maybe Madonna can drop the painting off en route?

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