Mona Lisa in Camelot: How Jacqueline Kennedy and Da Vinci's Masterpiece Charmed and Captivated a Nation (Hardcover)

by Margaret Leslie Davis (Author)
Key Phrases: Mona Lisa, White House, National Gallery (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
The 1963 American exhibition of the Mona Lisa in New York City and Washington, D.C., was America's first blockbuster art show, and Davis recounts in numbing detail the negotiations, preparations, flummoxes and successes of the exhibit. The exhibition was masterminded by the diplomatically savvy Mrs. Kennedy, whose personal relationships with French cultural minister André Malraux and National Gallery director John Walker overcame negative French press and concerns over subjecting a fragile artwork to a transatlantic journey. Heavily guarded and packed in a custom strong box, the Mona Lisa traveled in a first-class cabin on the USS France. Though Walker planned the exhibit with military precision, the opening ceremony was chaotic, and the painting was badly hung and poorly lit. Although Davis's (Rivers in the Desert) tale of the inner workings of a major art exhibition has its moments, it's undermined by padding (like the text of an imagined interview of LaGioconda by a newspaper reporter with nothing to report) and the author's fawning over Jackie. 16 pages of b&w photos. (Nov. 15)
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Review
"New York Observer," 12/19/08
"Ms Davis' description...makes you dizzy with nostalgia...I would call "Mona Lisa in Camelot" escapist nonfiction--except that it's firmly grounded in historical fact, and its triumphant heroine, though she's the stuff of fantasy, is as real as you and me." --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Da Capo Press; 1 edition (November 3, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0738211036
• ISBN-13: 978-0738211039
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #139,514 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing and charming, November 8, 2008

By	D. Besse (North Kingstown, RI United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This was a very engrossing account of how the Mona Lisa made it to the United States for public viewing during Camelot. The details of Jacqueline Kennedy's plan and the implementation of that plan were extremely interesting as I was a child of the sixties (but sadly did not live near D.C. to view the Mona Lisa). I was also fascinated with the First Lady's mutually adoring relationship with the French cultural minister, Andre Malraux, and her relationship with the National Gallery of Art Director, John Walker. The personality elements of these two men were almost as much fun as reading about how the First Lady managed to produce a marvelous tour guide/booklet for the public visitors to the White House. The idea of which, was hatched in 1941 when she visited the White House as a citizen and took that standard tour with her mother and sister. The real heroine of the book, however, was Mona Lisa, who even today, remains a mysterious enchantress.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My New Book Club Favorite, October 23, 2008

By	Gina DeRoma - See all my reviews

What an enchanting and thoroughly fascinating book! Ms. Davis' richly evocative, cinematic detail transports the reader, as if by time machine, to a moment in America's history when grace and diplomacy were valued above ignorance and bravado. As President Kennedy observed, "The United States will be judged - and its place in history ultimately assessed - not alone by its military or economic power, but by the quality of its civilization." This shimmering little jewel of a book is an inspiring reminder of the best in ours. It will go out to everyone on my holiday gift list!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrific!, November 14, 2008

By	S. Dees "Lucy Fan" (GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a terrific book about an incident that most people might not remember happening. I sped through the book in 2 sittings - utterly fascinating and a page-turner.

Kudos to the author for bringing this part of "Camelot" to its historical importance.