Closing today at the National Museum of the Republic of Kazakhstan is the exhibition that exhibited, for the first time in the country and in the whole of Central Asia, La Bella Principessa, the portrait of Bianca Sforza painted by Leonardo da Vinci at the end of the 15th century.
Initiated by the Italian Embassy and the Italian Cultural Institute, with the support of the Kazakh government, Forte Bank, Mastercard and Scripta Maneant, the initiative was a great success. Around 70,000 visitors in the two months it was open; more than a hundred articles, interviews and reviews; over a million views on social media, and - above all - the special preview visit by the President of the Republic Tokayev, made the exhibition one of the most impactful and important cultural promotion events in the whole of Kazakhstan.
"We are really happy," commented Ambassador Marco Alberti. "This year we wanted something special for Kazakhstan, as a testimony to the special level of our bilateral relations. That is why we chose Leonardo. The exhibition helped us reflect on the Italian concept of modernity, understood as a synthesis of tradition and innovation, and on the value for our country of cultural and integrated promotion as a foreign policy factor, as well as a key element of the diplomacy of growth outlined by Minister Tajani".
In addition to considerable feedback from critics and the public, the exhibition provided the basis for a number of integrated promotion events, with the involvement of the airlines Neos and Air Astana, technical sponsors of the exhibition. Among these, one centred on Made in Italy and, in particular, on fashion; another dedicated to the promotion of tourism in Italy, with the launch of a special package called 'In the footsteps of Leonardo'; a third initiative, still being studied, designed to create in Astana advanced training modules dedicated to the restoration of ancient works, with the collaboration of Italian organisations specialised in this sector.
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