An advertisement from a United States gun company has angered Italy, as it features the famous David statue, by Italian artist Michelangelo, toting a gun.
The statue of David is world-famous, showing the Biblical man armed with a rock, seconds before killing the giant Goliath. Illinois weapons company ArmaLite replaced David's rock with a large sniper rifle, and Italy is not happy about it. Time reports that Italian culture minister Dario Franceschini said the image "offends and infringes the law" and promised to take action against the American manufacturer. An official at the Department of Culture in Florence also spoke out against the image, saying that anyone who wants to use the statue of David for “promotional purposes" must also "respect the cultural dignity (of the work of art).” The advertisement is called "A Work of Art" and depicts David holding an AR-50A1 rifle, which retails for over three thousand dollars.
Florence Councillor of Culture SSergio Givone, called the advertisement "an act of violence towards the sculpture; like taking a hammer to it and perhaps, actually, even worse," reports The Guardian . No word on if ArmaLite will remove the promotional image from their websites.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Twitter
