> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://ironicsans.ghost.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # It’s Their Mona Lisa - URL: https://ironicsans.ghost.io/its-t-mona-lisa/ - Published: 2026-03-10T15:55:56.000Z - Updated: 2026-03-10T23:34:53.000Z - Description: What institutions besides the Louvre consider to be their “Mona Lisa” - Author: David Friedman *Welcome! If you’re new here, please consider* [*signing up for this free newsletter*](https://ironicsans.ghost.io/#/portal/signup) *to get more random weird cultural stuff in your Inbox!* --- Did you know that there is only one painting by Leonardo da Vinci on view in America? It’s a portrait of a teenage girl named Ginevra de’ Benci, a Florentine aristocrat, possibly commissioned for her wedding. And it’s one of only four portraits Leonardo painted of women. The most famous one, of course, is the *Mona Lisa*. The portrait of Ginevra is on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, which acquired the painting in 1967\. There’s an [interesting story](https://www.nga.gov/stories/articles/10-surprising-facts-about-leonardo-da-vincis-ginevra-de-benci?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io) of how the painting was brought from Liechtenstein Castle to Washington in carry-on luggage. \[*I haven’t told you this yet, but for the past year I’ve been working full-time as Senior Video Producer at the National Gallery of Art. I love it. Working in a museum surrounded by some of the world’s best art and telling stories about how art makes a difference in people’s lives, every day is a good day. Another time, I’ll share some of the work we’re doing. But for now, I just need to make clear that this newsletter is in no way formally connected to the museum or my work there.\]* Here is Ginevra, painted by Leonardo around 30 years before *Mona Lisa*: ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/ginevra.jpg) I once heard someone refer to Ginevra as “America’s *Mona Lisa*.” Obviously that’s in part because they’re both by the same artist. But sometimes people refer to something as their *Mona Lisa* to mean it’s their prize possession, or an incredible work, or the draw that people come to see. And that got me wondering: What do other museums and institutions refer to as their *Mona Lisa*? So I did some digging and I’ve gathered 17 works of art and other surprising things where someone from the institution has gone on record calling it their *Mona Lisa*. --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Museum of Modern Art ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/CleanShot-2026-03-07-at-07.32.43@2x.png) Andy Warhol, **Gold Marilyn Monroe* (1962) **What is it?** Gold Marilyn Monroe (1962), a silkscreen portrait by Andy Warhol. **Where is it?** Museum of Modern Art, New York City. **Exact quote:** “Many people call her our Mona Lisa.” **Who said it?** Ann Temkin, Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture. **Source:** [MoMA Inside Out blog](https://www.moma.org/explore/inside%5Fout/2015/07/22/painting-and-sculpture-at-the-museum-of-modern-art-a-qa-with-ann-temkin/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), July 22, 2015 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of The Metropolitan Museum of Art ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/CleanShot-2026-03-07-at-07.38.34@2x.png) Duccio di Buoninsegna, **Madonna and Child* (c. 1300) **What is it?** Madonna and Child (c. 1300) by Duccio di Buoninsegna **Where is it?** The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City. **Exact quote:** “...the first time I saw this work, I said, ‘this is our Mona Lisa.’” **Who said it?** Wolfram Koeppe, Senior Curator of European Sculpture and Decorative Arts. **Source:** [*Cabana Magazine* interview](https://cabanamagazine.com/blogs/travel/one-hour-at-the-met?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), July 26, 2024 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of Restoration Hardware ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-2.png) Restoration Hardware’s flagship store in Paris **What is it?** Restoration Hardware’s Paris flagship luxury home furnishings showroom. **Where is it?** Paris, France. **Exact quote:** “Guests don’t enter this gallery through a typical storefront. Instead, golden gates open to a hedge-lined walkway, a rear garden and dramatic medallion-carved doors that lead into a space CEO Gary Friedman calls the company’s ‘Mona Lisa.’” **Who said it?** Gary Friedman, CEO of Restoration Hardware. **Source:** [Jetset Magazine](https://jetsetmag.com/lifestyle/home-decor/golden-gates-open-rh-arrives-in-paris/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), September 15, 2025. --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Smithsonian African Art Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/NMAfA-D20110372-000003.jpg) Ousmane Sow, **Toussaint Louverture* (1989) **What is it?** A 7-foot bronze sculpture by Ousmane Sow called *Toussaint Louverture* depicting a Black liberation leader and a formerly enslaved woman. **Where is it?** Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Washington D.C. **Exact quote:** “The sculpture, which museum director Johnnetta Cole describes as ‘our Mona Lisa’...” **Who said it?** Johnnetta Cole, museum director. **Source:** [Smithsonian Magazine](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/a-larger-than-life-toussaint-louverture-1651712/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), May 2011 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the St. Louis Art Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-5.png) Henri Matisse, **Bathers with a Turtle* (1907) **What is it?** Bathers with a Turtle (1907) by Henri Matisse. **Where is it?** St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis, MO. **Exact quote:** “‘It’s one of the great Matisses,’ said Simon Kelly, the St. Louis Art Museum’s curator of modern art. ‘It’s kind of our Mona Lisa.’” **Who said it?** Simon Kelly, Curator of Modern Art. **Source:** [St. Louis Post-Dispatch](https://lootedart.com/news.php?r=QIFEX6737621&ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), February 22, 2014 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the National Museum of African American History & Culture ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-7.png) B.F. Powelson, **Harriet Tubman* (c. 1868) **What is it?** An early portrait photograph of Harriet Tubman by B.F. Powelson. **Where is it?** National Museum of African American History and Culture, Washington, D.C. **Exact quote:** “I felt like this is the museum’s version of a Mona Lisa... This is our Mona Lisa. She would be the equivalent.” **Who said it?** Rhea Combs, Curator of Photography. **Source:** [TheGrio](https://thegrio.com/2019/03/26/harriet-tubman-young-nmaahc-photo-display/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), March 26, 2019 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Lenbachhaus ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-9.png) Alexej von Jawlensky, **Portrait of Alexander Sacharoff* (1910) **What is it?** Portrait of Alexander Sacharoff (1910) by Alexej von Jawlensky. **Where is it?** Lenbachhaus, Munich, Germany. **Exact quote:** “This is our ‘Mona Lisa’, almost every week we receive requests to lend the painting, which unfortunately is not possible because the painting is very fragile.” **Who said it?** Matthias Mühling, Director. **Source:** [Simply Munich](https://www.munich.travel/en/topics/arts-culture/curators-present-their-personal-highlights?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io) --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of The Mob Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-14.png) Bullet-riddled wall from 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre **What is it?** The bullet-riddled brick wall from the 1929 St. Valentine’s Day Massacre garage. **Where is it?** The Mob Museum, Las Vegas, Nevada. **Exact quote:** “The wall, reassembled brick by brick, is pock-marked with bullet holes. ‘It's like our *Mona Lisa*,’ Barrie says.” **Who said it?** Dennis Barrie, Creative Director. **Source:** [Cleveland Magazine](https://clevelandmagazine.com/articles/pop-goes-the-museum/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), February 20, 2012 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Kunstgewerbemuseum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/CleanShot-2026-03-07-at-08.47.30@2x-1.png) Dome Reliquary (Middle Ages) **What is it?** The Dome Reliquary, “reputed to have contained the skull of Saint Gregory of Nazianzus” **Where is it?** Kunstgewerbemuseum (Museum of Decorative Arts), Berlin, Germany. **Exact quote:** “The dome reliquary is our *Mona Lisa*.” **Who said it?** Lothar Lambacher, Deputy Director. **Source:** [The New Criterion](https://newcriterion.com/article/blood-treasure/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), May 2022 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Palace of Versailles ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-17.png) Temple of Minerva theater (c. 1754) **What is it?** The Temple of Minerva theater set (c.1754) from Marie-Antoinette’s private theater. **Where is it?** Château de Versailles, Versailles, France. **Exact quote:** “a miracle of conservation ... our own Mona Lisa” **Who said it?** Raphaël Masson, Chief Curator of Heritage. **Source:** [Tatler](https://www.tatler.com/article/marie-antoinette-personal-theatre-restoration-paris?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), March 15, 2021 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Worcester Art Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-19.png) Paul Gauguin, **The Brooding Woman* (1896) **What is it?** The Brooding Woman (1896) by Paul Gauguin. **Where is it?** Worcester Art Museum, Worcester, Massachusetts. **Exact quote:** “My absolute favorite in this museum is Paul Gauguin’s ‘The Brooding Woman.’ It’s our Mona Lisa.” **Who said it?** Matthias Waschek, Director. **Source:** [The Boston Globe](https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/2012/10/20/boston-newest-museum-directors-excited-expecting-challenges/36codD5CKwLuvR9TB26iIK/story.html?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), October 20, 2012 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Israel Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-21.png) **What is it?** The Dead Sea Scrolls collection **Where is it?** Israel Museum (Shrine of the Book), Jerusalem. **Exact quote:** “Placing the Dead Sea Scrolls—‘our *Mona Lisa*,’ Roitman called them—in a museum...” **Who said it?** Adolfo Roitman, Curator of the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum **Source:** [The Atlantic](https://archive.is/sJTlD?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), November 26, 2017 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-23.png) Alexander Gardner, **Abraham Lincoln* (1865) **What is it?** An 1865 photograph of Abraham Lincoln (1865) by Alexander Gardner with a crack through it. **Where is it?** Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery, Washington, D.C. **Exact quote:** “Our photograph of Lincoln by \[Gardner\], known as the ‘cracked-plate,’ is the museum’s ‘Mona Lisa.’” **Who said it?** Kim Sajet, Director. **Source:** [Smithsonian Press Release](https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-s-first-major-retrospective-alexander-gardner-s-photographs-national-portrait-g?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), August 24, 2015 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the National Portrait Gallery in London ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-25.png) John Taylor, **Chandos Portrait of William Shakespeare* (c. 1610) **What is it?** The Chandos Portrait of William Shakespeare, attributed to John Taylor, c. 1610. **Where is it?** National Portrait Gallery, London. **Exact quote:** “She labels as ‘pretty high’ the odds that a living, breathing William Shakespeare posed for the National Portrait Gallery’s own Chandos portrait, which she calls ‘our *Mona Lisa*.’” **Who said it?** Tarnya Cooper, Curator. **Source:** [Smithsonian Magazine](https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/to-be-or-not-to-be-shakespeare-127247606/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), September 2006 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the University of Maryland School of Medicine ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-28.png) Unknown Artist, **Dr. John Beale Davidge* (1844) **What is it?** An 1844 portrait of Dr. John Beale Davidge, founder and first dean of the medical school. **Where is it?** University of Maryland Medical Alumni Association, Baltimore. **Exact quote:** “This is the only portrait of Davidge that we’re aware of that exists. It is certainly the oldest. Until another one shows up, this is our *Mona Lisa.*” **Who said it?** Larry Pitrof, executive director of the Medical Alumni Association **Source:** [Baltimore Sun via ArtNet](https://news.artnet.com/art-world/john-davidge-baltimore-medical-school-portrait-2671122?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), July 24, 2025 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of Tiffany & Co. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/CleanShot-2026-03-07-at-16.50.13@2x.png) **What is it?** The Tiffany Diamond, a 128.54-carat yellow diamond. **Where is it?** Tiffany & Co. flagship store, New York City. **Exact quote:** “People can line up to view it. ‘Yes, it is our Mona Lisa.’” **Who said it?** Victoria Wirth Reynolds, Chief Gemologist. **Source:** [CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/tiffanys-nyc-flagship-store-shining-brighter-than-ever/?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), May 21, 2023 --- ### The *Mona Lisa* of the Oslo Natural History Museum ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/CleanShot-2026-03-07-at-16.58.26@2x-4.png) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/image-30.png) Ida, a primate fossil **What is it?** Darwinius masillae, a 47-million-year-old fossil of a human ancestor, seen as a “missing link” in the evolutionary tree. Its nickname is Ida. **Where is it?** Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, Norway. **Exact quote:** “You need an icon or two in a museum to drag people in... This is our Mona Lisa and it will be our Mona Lisa for the next 100 years.” **Who said it?** Jørn Hurum, Paleontologist. **Source**: [The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/science/2009/may/19/ida-fossil-missing-link?ref=ironicsans.ghost.io), May 19, 2009 ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/99/08/9908ec0b-b3d5-476b-bc3c-632c5b087809/content/images/2026/03/horiz.gif) If I had to choose which issue of this newsletter is my *Mona Lisa,* not based on my favorite but strictly based on which one brought the most new readers, that honor probably goes to [I Get No Mail And It’s Glorious](https://ironicsans.ghost.io/i-get-no-mail-and-its-glorious/), about how I eliminated all paper mail to the point where most days I literally get no mail, causing confusion for my mailman. I don’t have the raw numbers, but I’m pretty sure that was the most widely shared and read edition since I started this newsletter in 2020\. In this newsletter’s earlier iteration as a blog, I’m sure I had posts that were more popular than that, but strictly among newsletter issues, that one definitely ranks high up there. Thanks as usual for reading. See you next time! David