I could talk about this painting for two entire hours, but I want to be quick not to lose your attention. This article will be ten times shorter than the waiting line to just take a selfie with the most famous Italian lady. Not sure I’ll be able to answer the question all my clients ask when I give a tour at the Louvre “why is the Mona Lisa so famous?” I’m still not sure, but let’s try to light this lantern in the back of your brain.
When we enter the gallery the Monna Lisa is in the Louvre, I always start by asking one very simple question: do you know this painting? Most of the time, people laugh and say “of course Johanna!”. And then I ask “why?”, and they say, panicking, “well, it’s the Monna Lisa”. Yes, thank you. But why, how do you know it? And they usually say: thanks to the book, to Beyonce, to Instagram. Oh lord… Let me tell you…