A painting that is normally on show at the National Gallery of Ireland is illustrating the tourism-boosting potential of blockbuster art, writes MICHAEL PARSONS. The Taking of Christis one of 24 Caravaggios that have already drawn more than 237,000 people to Rome's Scuderie del Quirinale museum in seven weeks. The show to mark the 400th anniversary of the artist's death has been so popular that the museum has stayed open until 11pm at weekends.
The Taking of Christ, which the National Gallery of Ireland says it often has to decline loan requests for, was discovered hanging, unrecognised, in a Jesuit house on Leeson Street in Dublin in the early 1990s. The find created an international sensation, and the painting is now regarded as priceless. Timed-entry tickets for the exhibition are still available for some dates until June 13th, but visitors should book online (scuderiequirinale.it) before travelling to Italy.
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