By COLLEEN BARRY (Associated Press) FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Michelangelo’s David has been a towering figure in Italian culture since its completion in 1504. But in the current era of the quick buck, curators worry the marble statue’s religious and political significance is being diminished by the thousands of refrigerator magnets and other souvenirs sold around Florence focusing on David’s genitalia. The Galleria dell’Accademia’s director, Cecilie Hollberg, has positioned herself as David’s defender since her arrival at the museum in 2015, taking swift aim at those profiteering from his image, often in ways she finds “debasing.” In that way, she is a bit of a David herself against the Goliath of unfettered capitalism with its army of street vendors and souvenir shop operators hawking aprons of the statue’s nude figure, T-shirts of it engaged in obscene gestures, and ubiquitous figurines, often in Pop Art neon. At Hollberg’s behest, the state’s attorney office in Florence has launched a series of court cases invoking Italy’s landmark cultural heritage code, which protects artistic treasures from disparaging and unauthorized commercial use.

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    Michelangelo’s David ... and questions and queries from all over about how we did it, to ask advice on how to move,” she told the Associated Press. Legal action has followed to protect ...
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  • A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo’s David raises questions about freedom of expression
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  • A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo’s David raises questions about freedom of expression
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  • A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
    FLORENCE, Italy (AP) — Michelangelo’s David has been a towering ... and to what extent freedom of expression is being limited. “It raises not just legal issues, but also philosophical ...
    03/27/2024 - 6:47 pm | View Link
  • A fight to protect the dignity of Michelangelo's David raises questions about freedom of expression
    Michelangelo’s David ... and questions and queries from all over about how we did it, to ask advice on how to move," she told The Associated Press. Legal action has followed to protect ...
    03/27/2024 - 6:33 pm | View Link
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