Présentation de l'éditeur
In December 1962, Da Vinci's Mona Lisa set sail from Paris to New York for what was arguably the riskiest art exhibition ever mounted. The fragile icon traveled like a head of state, with armed guards and military surveillance, in a temperature-controlled vault. Masterminding the entire show was First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy, who tirelessly campaigned to persuade National Gallery Director John Walker, French President Charles de Gaulle, and her own husband to debut the legendary smile here. For 88 charmed days, “Lisa Fever” swept the nation as nearly two million Americans attended exhibits in Washington, D.C. and New York. It was the greatest outpouring of appreciation for a single work of art in American history. And as only Jacqueline Kennedy could do, she infused America's first museum blockbuster show with a unique sense of pageantry, igniting a national love affair with the arts.
Gathering rare archival documents and interviews, acclaimed biographer Margaret Leslie Davis has woven a tantalizing saga, filled with international intrigue and the irresistible charm of Camelot and its queen.
Revue de presse
Kirkus Reviews
“Jackie lovers will be thrilled.”The Women on the Web, September 2008
“Margaret Davis is known for her fascinating histories and this is a recent one with a gloss, chock-full of glamour, big rich names, super philanthropy, a dedicated woman who was willing to trade her charm for a few Cézannes in the White House and the most famous painting in the world for the National Gallery…An engaging and dynamite story that I had never known and, of course, I thought I knew everything. This is a really important little addition to American museum and art history.”Newsday, 10/12/08
“Offers an intriguing sketch of Jackie - a woman as enigmatic as the Mona Lisa herself.”Bookpage, October 2008
“Well written, extensively researched and meticulously rendered—a masterpiece in its own right.”ABA newsletter, Shelf Awareness, Columbus Post-Dispatch, November 2008
“[An] indie favorite.”USA Today, 12/11/08
“Davis tells the tale in charming fashion.”
Biographie de l'auteur
Margaret Leslie Davis is the author of six books, including The Culture Broker: Franklin Murphy and the Transformation of Los Angeles and Rivers in the Desert, which Newsweek called a “fascinating history,” soon to be a major motion picture. She lives in Los Angeles.
