The “cleaning” of Michelangelo’s David is more about politics than aesthetics, claims one critic. “Fundamentally this is about money. The actual restoration itself may cost relatively little – a few hundred thousand dollars, maybe a million. But in terms of the increase in the number of admission tickets sold, the number of books, videos and toys purchased at the museum store, the reproduction rights – you’re probably talking billions. Why do you think the city of Florence and the Italian state are arguing over who owns David? The science they use to defend their decisions is irrelevant, it’s just window dressing to disguise a power struggle.