Stendhal syndrome

Stendhal syndrome is named after the famous 19th century French author Stendhal (pseudonym of Marie-Henri Beyle), who first described the phenomenon in one of his writings.

It is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and hallucinations when the individual is exposed to an overdose of beautiful art, paintings and artistic masterpieces. It was described for the first time in 1989 by Italian psychiatrist Graziella Magherini, who observed and described more than 100 similar cases among tourists and visitors in Florence, Italy, the cradle of Renaissance.

There is also a horror film called The Stendhal Syndrome (penned and directed by Dario Argento) in which a policewoman suffering from Stendhal syndrome is trapped by a serial killer in a museum.

See also:

Internet Movie Database: La Sindrome di Stendhal http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0117658/

Auxologia: Graziella Magherini: La Sindrome di Stendhal (book) http://www.auxologia.com/index3.html (excerpts in Italian)