This review offers an assessment of the art exhibition Siena: The Rise of Painting, 1300–1350, held at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the National Gallery in London. The exhibition stands out for the quality of the loans obtained and several important reconstructions. However, it also raises methodological and ethical concerns: from the problematic periodisation adopted and the absence of a scholarly catalogue, to the marginalisation of so-called “minor” arts and a lack of historical contextualisation. Particular attention is devoted to the risks of moving and handling fragile artworks, some of which left their original locations for the first time. The review questions the appropriateness and ethical implications of subjecting these vulnerable works to complex logistical operations, especially when the resulting cultural gains do not clearly outweigh physical risks and conservation challenges. Ultimately, the exhibition is read as symptomatic of a broader crisis in the critical management and valorisation of cultural heritage, affecting both Anglo-American curatorial practices and the strategic responses of Italian institutions.