Leonardo's 'Madonna of the Yarnwinder' Quietly on View at the Met
The 'Madonna of the Yarnwinder' (ca. 1501), a rare artwork by Leonardo da Vinci, is currently on long-term loan in gallery 609 at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. Since its installation in the spring, it has attracted attention, particularly after art advisor Evan Beard highlighted it on Instagram. Journalist Judith Dobrzynski first noticed the painting in April. The piece is lent by Kenneth C. Griffin, who has expanded his museum contributions, including a stegosaurus skeleton at the American Museum of Natural History. Art historian Martin Kemp suggests that both this painting and the 'Buccleuch Madonna' stem from Leonardo's underdrawings. Unlike previous Leonardo exhibitions at the Met, its reception has been relatively subdued, having also been shown at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011 and the Louvre in 2019.
Key facts
- Leonardo da Vinci's 'Madonna of the Yarnwinder' is on long-term loan at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
- The painting is attributed to 'Leonardo da Vinci and Studio' and is installed in gallery 609.
- It has been on view since the spring without a press release.
- Art advisor Evan Beard noted its presence on Instagram over the weekend.
- ARTnews reported that Judith Dobrzynski first spotted the work in April.
- The painting is on loan from hedge fund titan Kenneth C. Griffin.
- Griffin also lent a stegosaurus skeleton to the American Museum of Natural History and ten Basquiat works to the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
- The Met notes the painting resembles an image Leonardo described in a letter to Isabella d'Este in 1501.
- Martin Kemp believes the work and the 'Buccleuch Madonna' came from underdrawings by Leonardo.
- The painting was previously displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago in 2011 and the Louvre in 2019.
Entities
Artists
- Leonardo da Vinci
- Jean-Michel Basquiat
- Kenneth C. Griffin
- Martin Kemp
- Evan Beard
- Judith Dobrzynski
- Isabella d'Este
Institutions
- Metropolitan Museum of Art
- National Gallery of Art
- American Museum of Natural History
- Pérez Art Museum Miami
- National Galleries of Scotland
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Louvre
- Sotheby's
- Citadel
- CULTURED
- ARTnews
Locations
- New York
- United States
- Miami
- Scotland
- Chicago
- Paris
- France
- Italy