Want an Italian masterpiece but can't afford the original? Try a digital copy at supercar prices.

The final buyer of a painting attributed to Leonardo da Vinci spent over $450 million at auction. Now, Italian cultural organizations are giving collectors the chance to own a certified digital version of da Vinci's Lady with Disheveled Hair for a price comparable to a luxury sports car.

The nonprofit Save the Artistic Heritage, in collaboration with Cinello, is enabling affluent art enthusiasts to purchase exact digital projections of Italian masterpieces, scaled and framed to replicate the museum experience. Participating museums sign a certificate of authenticity and receive 50% of the profits from each sale.

Our goal is not to sell technology, but to sell art, said John Blem, the Italian-born Danish entrepreneur who founded Cinello and serves as vice president of the nonprofit. Revenue sharing is a key aspect of the project, designed to help financially strained museums access new funding sources.

Over the past two years, Save the Artistic Heritage has donated 300,000 euros ($347,000) to its museum partners in Italy. Prices for the digital artworks range from 30,000 to 300,000 euros. Each piece is produced in a limited series of nine, reflecting the traditional number of statues cast from a single mold while maintaining originality.

The collection includes around 250 works from approximately ten Italian museums and foundations, such as Milans Pinacoteca Ambrosiana, Naples Capodimonte, and Parmas Pilotta, which holds Leonardos unfinished painting of a windblown-haired woman. That work was sold digitally for 250,000 euros (roughly $290,000).

Blem and a partner are planning to launch a similar nonprofit in the United States next year.

The digital artworks are backlit on screens matching the original sizes, creating a vibrant effect reminiscent of Technicolor for works like Raffaellos The Marriage of the Virgin, housed at Milans Brera Art Gallery. Other pieces, including Leonardos portrait and Andrea Mantegnas Lamentation over a Dead Christ, are more subdued. High-resolution details are visible, though texture from the original brushwork is absent.

The digital version of The Marriage of the Virgin has generated great interest, said Angelo Crespi, director of the Brera Art Gallery. Its clarity and luminosity are impressive, yet it remains clear it is a digital copy.

Digital technology is increasingly used in the art world, including rotating displays of artworks on digital canvases. The Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam has experimented with textured scans and interactive exhibitions, reaching over a million visitors worldwide.

Luke Gartlan, head of the art history department at the University of St. Andrews, notes that Save the Artistic Heritage continues a long Italian tradition of using reproductions to support museums and protect collections. Institutions like Florences Alinari Archive and the Vatican Museums have embraced high-resolution digital recording for preservation purposes.

Recently, the Brera launched a second series of nine digital artworks through Save the Artistic Heritage. Marked with Roman numerals, these pieces help attract donors and support fundraising initiatives. Donations and sponsorships account for 30% of Breras 14 million euro budget, with just 10% from the state; the remainder comes from ticket sales.

This project allows anyone who purchases a digital artwork to directly support the museum, Crespi said.

The digital versions are projected in replica frames using patented technology that connects to Cinellos mainframe, ensuring each copy is unique. The technology is protected in Europe, the U.S., and China. Future plans include Impossible Exhibitions, digital displays of rare masterpieces accessible to remote locations worldwide.

Commentary: Digital Art as a New Revenue Stream for Italian Museums

The recent initiative by Save the Artistic Heritage and Cinello represents a significant shift in how museums engage with collectors and generate income. By offering certified digital versions of masterpieces such as Leonardo da Vinci’s Lady with Disheveled Hair, institutions are creating a new avenue for high-value art consumption without parting with the originals.

The model ensures both authenticity and financial support. Participating museums receive 50% of the sale price, which helps supplement budgets increasingly dependent on ticket sales and donations. With digital artworks priced between 30,000 and 300,000 euros, the initiative targets collectors while maintaining limited edition scarcity, echoing traditional art production methods.

High-resolution digital projections recreate the original scale and vibrancy of works from institutions like the Brera Art Gallery and Pinacoteca Ambrosiana. While texture from brushwork cannot be replicated, the clarity and luminosity of these pieces offer an immersive visual experience. Museum directors emphasize that digital copies are clearly distinct from originals but still serve as an effective fundraising and outreach tool.

Looking ahead, plans to expand the program to the United States and launch “Impossible Exhibitions” indicate a broader ambition: combining technology and heritage preservation to make rare masterpieces globally accessible. This initiative reinforces a long-standing Italian tradition of using reproductions for museum support while integrating modern digital innovation.

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• Covet an Italian masterpiece, but shy of the millions? How about a digital copy at supercar prices