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David might need to fan his fans

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From Reuters

Custodians of Michelangelo’s “David” are thinking of blasting air at dusty, sweaty tourists to stop them from sullying the Renaissance sex symbol.

Months after a painstaking and costly cleanup of the 500-year-old nude statue, experts at the Galleria dell’Accademia in Florence, Italy found dust and humidity brought in by streams of tourists had begun to tarnish their top crowd-puller again.

Museum director Franca Falletti said one possible solution was to have air blowing out from behind the 15-foot marble statue, reversing an existing draft in the museum that lets dust settle on the famous boy with the slingshot.

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Other options include another wash for David -- controversial because of potential damage to his delicate features -- or asking tourists to rigorously brush off before entering the museum.

“We will monitor the situation over the next two years and are looking at all the options to find a good system of defense for David,” Falletti said.

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