Digital replicas of six Italian masterpieces go on show at Unit London

Unit London gallery has partnered with four major Italian institutions to present digital versions of six iconic Italian artworks in London. The exhibition, Eternalizing Art History, runs from February 16 to March 19, 2022, at the Mayfair gallery. It features reproductions of works by Leonardo da Vinci, Caravaggio, Raphael, Modigliani, and Hayez, including Caravaggio's Basket of Fruit, Hayez's The Kiss, Leonardo's Head of a Girl (La Scapigliata) and Portrait of a Musician, Raphael's Madonna of the Goldfinch, and Modigliani's Head of a Young Woman. Some of these works are shown in the UK for the first time. The digital copies are displayed on screens set in handcrafted frames made by Tuscan artisans, identical to the originals. The works are produced as limited-edition Digital Art Works (DAWs), a format created and patented by the Italian company Cinello, founded by John Blem and Franco Losi. Each DAW is certified by Cinello and the museum that owns the original, and cannot be copied. Only nine editions of each work were created for this exhibition. The price ranges from £100,000 to £500,000, with 50% of net sales going to the originating institutions for conservation support. Unit London director Joe Kennedy stated that the gallery has always aimed to bridge physical and virtual art experiences, and that blockchain technology can generate new audiences and revenue for museums. Eternalizing Art History is the first of three planned digital art exhibitions at Unit London.