Leonardo (2009)

Art meets science and detective story lifting the lid on some of the most controversial stories in the art world. Pioneering forensic scientist Dr Maurizio Seracini has made his name by ingeniously adapting the latest medical and military technology to reveal the secrets of great artistic masterpieces. In this film he sets out to investigate the unsolved mysteries surrounding some of the works of genius produced by world famous Renaissance artist Leonardo Da Vinci.

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On a spectacular journey through Renaissance Italy, Andrew Graham-Dixon searches for the shadowy figure who wrote one of the most important books on art and looks at some dazzling works, including masterpieces of the early Renaissance by Giotto, Masaccio and Donatello. Giorgio Vasari was the grandaddy of all art critics, travelling Italy in the 16th century for his definitive Lives of the Artists. Scorning medieval Gothic, he praised to the vaulted ceilings the revival of classical art and architecture.

Sue Perkins charts the changes in British taste towards domestic art by delving into the stories of contemporary bestsellers and charting the history of post-war prints. She discusses Tretchikoff with Red or Dead founder Wayne Hemmingway, and meets bestselling artists and photographers Jack Vettriano, Mel Allen, Spencer Rowell, Martin Elliot and Sam Toft, as well as discussing the interior design revolution with Habitat founder Terence Conran.

Leonardo da Vinci is not just the most famous and most admired of all painters - he is an icon, a superstar. Yet, the man himself remains elusive. Accounts during his lifetime describe a man too handsome, too strong, too perfect to be accurate. But in 2009, the chance discovery in the South of Italy of an ancient portrait with strangely familiar features takes the art world by storm. Could this be an unknown self-portrait by Leonardo da Vinci? Controversy erupts among the experts. The implications of such a discovery have far-reaching consequences for our understanding of the work of this great Renaissance master.

The restoration of Leonardo's final masterpiece, 'The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne' was completed and exhibited in the Louvre in March 2012. Viewers and critics were astounded by its new life and luminosity, allowing details to be seen again for the first time in 500 years. Nevertheless, the pain-staking restoration process caused ructions and controversy amongst the panel of international experts and the restorer chosen to undertake the work.

There are few families in history who have accumulated more wealth, collected more art and given away more money than the Gettys. With unique access to the family's inner world, this programme unearths the lasting cultural impact of three generations.

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Grosseto. Elena, una donna forte e volitiva, vive in un grande casale di campagna con le figlie e uno zio anziano, un po' matto. Separata ormai da anni con il marito, il conte Leonardo, ha una relazione con Nardoni, amministratore dei suoi beni. L'ex coniuge viene a farle visita con l'intento di chiederle un prestito e di proporle un investimento comune. Elena, su consiglio di Nardoni non accetta. Anche lei si trova in ristrettezze economiche. Poi un tragico incidente porta alla morte del conte…