The Art of Milano
Who in their right mind rocks up in Milan, doesn't check any kind of ticketing situation, and just bowls up at The Last Supper? I walked towards her. They say the devil wears Prada. Take it from me; she wasn't wearing Prada. My devil wore a tight nylon security uniform with red eyeshadow and a truncheon.
A flat "no" - you can't have a ticket was her response. The devil did not know she was dealing with an art addict. She was not one to go head-to-head with. I silently stood there looking at my feet. I was about to cry. "It's a two-month waiting list," she said. I was still going in. She could say anything she wanted. "But", I said, "No", she said. It came out of nowhere, "I'm from the press", "No", she said. I stood still and said nothing. Finally, her friend (if she had one) started talking. She was softer. I shuffled in her direction.
The devil pressed the ticket with her fingers onto the end of my nose, "415pm, do not lose your ticket. If you lose this, there is no other ticket" What, did she think I was a sixteen-year-old kid? I spent the next two hours pacing the piazza, looking in my handbag every five seconds to check my ticket. The more I checked it, the more likely I was to lose it. This was the devil's fault.
Leonardo Da Vinci - Last Supper Museum
The last time I saw this masterpiece, it was partially under cover. It took 20 years to renovate and was finished in 1999. As young art students, we rocked up (without a ticket) wearing cut-off denim shorts and vest tops, eating gelato. Hardly Milano, we were unaware that we were in the most stylish city in the world. Every time I go to Milan, I come home and throw all my clothes away, which makes for a very expensive trip.
The Last Supper - Leonardo Da Vinci
In total, I visited three galleries:
Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper Museum. Fondazione Prada, not to be confused with Museo del Prado in Madrid. You can never have enough Prado, can you, darling? Fondazione Prada is a converted distillery with elegant, chic shadows silently wandering around. You know when it's so sophisticated that the toilets don't have signs or door handles. I fell in love with Carsten Holler's Upside Down Mushroom Room; whatever you do, don't go to the loo on mushrooms, though, that's too complicated.
Fondazione Prada
Carsten Holler's - Upside Down Mushroom Room 2000
The other gallery I visited was Palazzo Citterio, an eighteenth-century building that took over 50 years to transform. The entrance hall features a multi-sculptural table made of wood. Upstairs in the elegant palace, the rooms are equally as beautiful as the art. Remember to look up at the blue and white ceilings. The art collection is now home to over 200 20th-century masterpieces, including works by Boccioni, Modigliani, Morandi, and Picasso.
Palazzo Citterio
Georgio Morandi - Natura Morta 1890 -1964
Pablo Picasso - Testa Di Toro 1883-1973
Ciao for now, I hope you enjoyed Milano. If you are going away this summer, get in touch. I can help you with gallery trips across the world. Just get your own ticket!
Much love,
Jules
*Cover photo: Gilbert and George