/New Campaign Offers Donors a Chance to Own a Michelangelo Masterpiece
– Unique fundraising initiative inspired by “100 euros – 1 Picasso”
– Rediscovered wooden figure of Pope Julius II as centerpiece
– Proceeds split between Doctors Without Borders and the non-profit association
– Participation limited to 420,000 global donors
– Aims to support humanitarian missions in conflict zones
A new fundraising campaign, titled “100 euros – 1 Michelangelo figure of the 16th century,” is inviting art enthusiasts and philanthropists to participate in a unique opportunity to own a wooden figure of Pope Julius II, believed to be a rediscovered masterpiece by the renowned artist Michelangelo Buonarroti. The initiative follows a successful model established by the French campaign “100 euros – 1 Picasso.”
According to the non-profit association Michelangelo-Julius II.-Figur e. V., scientific analysis by CEZ has dated the wooden material to around 1500, which corresponds directly with the time of Michelangelo. This figure is presented as the last surviving sculptural record of Pope Julius II, especially significant since the famous bronze monument in Bologna has been destroyed. The association emphasizes the rarity of this wooden bozzetto, seeing it as one of the few extant works attributed to Michelangelo.
Donations will be equally divided between Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières), a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and the Michelangelo-Julius II.-Figur e. V. The funds raised are intended to support crucial humanitarian medical missions in various global conflict zones.
With worldwide participation limited to 420,000 donors, the octogenarian owners of the figure have taken an innovative approach by staking the sculpture against donations. They are optimistic that further scholarly investigation into the piece could elevate its value beyond the record-setting Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi, which sold for 450 million US dollars in 2017.
The campaign is exclusively hosted on the donation platform WhyDonate in Amsterdam, while management of the initiative falls under the purview of the German non-profit association Michelangelo-Julius II.-Figur e. V., based in Frankfurt am Main. More details about the artwork and the campaign can be found at michelangelo-lost-masterpiece.com.
