Which Italian Renaissance Figure Has Become a “Virtual Influencer” on Instagram?

Sandro Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” is one of the most famous paintings of the Italian Renaissance. Painted around 1485, it depicts the Roman goddess of love and beauty standing on a giant scallop shell in the sea, naked except for her long golden hair, being blown towards the land by the personified winds. The tempera-on-canvas painting is displayed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, where art lovers from around the world regularly visit to marvel at its beauty.

But the Uffizi isn’t the only place you can see Botticelli’s Venus. These days, you might spot her eating pizza or taking selfies. Italy’s Ministry of Tourism reportedly spent around 9 million euros ($9.86 million USD) on a social media-focused marketing campaign that reimagines Venus ("Venere" in Italian) as a 30-year-old travel blogger and "virtual influencer." With her own Instagram account, now with around 200,000 followers, the goal is to showcase the best of Italy and attract younger visitors.

In one of Venere's recent posts, she poses with a bicycle outside the Colosseum, dressed in a striped shirt, blue jacket, and shorts. In another, she sits in front of the colourful seaside houses of Polignano a Mare, wearing a white top, blue linen maxi skirt, and a trendy cross-body bag. In all of the posts, her slightly tilted head and windswept hair remain the same, just as in the original painting.

The amalgamation of a timeless Italian Renaissance icon with computer-generated 21st-century clothing and accessories certainly makes for some eye-catching posts, though much of the online reaction has been negative. Some commenters have criticized the content creators' Photoshop skills, especially considering the cost of the campaign. Others feel that the Instagram campaign trivializes Italy’s cultural heritage by altering such an iconic work of art to drive clicks. Then there's the confusing slogan "Italia: Open to Meraviglia" (“Open to Wonder”) and mistakes such as using a Slovenian winery in the promotional video.

However, some might argue that all publicity is good publicity, and the campaign, which will move beyond Instagram to billboards and video screens in airports and railway stations, has certainly attracted plenty of that. Others, defending the effort, have suggested that as the goddess of beauty, Venus was no stranger to vanity and would probably embrace the concept of projecting a carefully curated lifestyle on social media.

Creative digital marketing or cultural faux pas?