#1: Mona Lisa – Leonardo da Vinci (#1 Most Environmentally Impactful Painting)
Location: Louvre, Paris
CO₂ Emissions: Approximately 108,400 tons over the past 10 years
Focus: Preserving for Future Generations
Counterpart: Zaria Forman – "Icebergs"
Context & Connection
Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa (1503-1506) is a symbol of timeless beauty, mastery, and human ingenuity. Her enigmatic gaze has captivated viewers for centuries, embodying the enduring nature of art and culture. Yet, this masterpiece has become a pilgrimage for millions, with an environmental cost that reflects our modern paradox: the desire to preserve what is precious, while simultaneously contributing to its fragility.
Zaria Forman’s Icebergs (2012) offers a haunting counterpart. Her large-scale pastel drawings document vanishing Arctic landscapes—majestic yet impermanent reminders of the urgency of climate action. Forman’s work captures the fleeting beauty of a world disappearing before our eyes, serving as both a warning and a call to action.
Statement
"Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa is a timeless masterpiece, a symbol of preservation and enduring beauty that has survived centuries. Yet its global popularity comes at an environmental cost, highlighting the challenge of safeguarding our cultural treasures without compromising the planet.
Zaria Forman’s Icebergs echoes this dilemma in nature, capturing the fragile splendor of melting Arctic landscapes. Her drawings confront us with the impermanence of the world’s most vital ecosystems.
Chosen in alignment with Greta Thunberg’s call to preserve the future for coming generations, this pairing reminds us that art, culture, and nature are irreplaceable. Just as we honor the Mona Lisa, we must act urgently to protect the planet that inspired its creation—so that future generations may inherit both its beauty and its stories."
Why This Works
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Future Generations
- Mona Lisa: A symbol of preservation and cultural continuity.
- Icebergs: A warning of nature’s impermanence, urging us to act for the generations to come.
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Visual and Emotional Contrast
- The permanence of the Mona Lisa contrasts with the fleeting beauty of Forman’s melting icebergs, underscoring the urgency of the climate crisis.
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Greta’s Vision
- Greta Thunberg’s message highlights that the choices we make today determine what will remain for future generations—whether it is art, culture, or the natural world.
Exhibition Context
- Mona Lisa: An enduring icon of cultural preservation and human achievement.
- Icebergs: A fragile, vanishing reflection of nature’s beauty, captured before it disappears forever.
- Greta’s Message: We have the responsibility to preserve not just the art we revere, but the planet that sustains and inspires it—so future generations can experience both.