Van Gogh Museum Acquires 91 Pissarro Prints, and National Gallery Gifted Lucas Cranach the Elder Painting
Plus, the MoMA has acquired a Tarsila do Amaral painting, and Julie Mehretu sells at auction.
The National Gallery in London has acquired Lucas Cranach the Elder’s painting “Venus and Cupid” (1529), which was gifted to the National Gallery from the Drue Heinz Charitable Trust after the death of Mrs. Heinz. The Heinz family acquired the painting in 1964, and it has only been on UK public display once since the 1950s. The work is now on view in Room 4 of the National Gallery. “‘Venus and Cupid’ is a significant addition to the Gallery’s representation of Cranach, one of the most impressive and prolific painters of the Renaissance in Germany,” said Gabriele Finaldi, Director of the National Gallery. “We are grateful to Mrs Heinz and her charitable trust for this generous gift to the nation.”
The Van Gogh Museum has acquired 91 prints by Camille Pissaro. The prints make up the entirety of the Samuel Josefowitz Collection, which had been developed over several decades. The collection was acquired through the help of BankGiro Loterij, the Vincent van Gogh Foundation, and members of The Yellow House. From March 1–May 26, 42 of the prints will be on display in the print cabinet in the Exhibition Wing of the museum.
Stanford University’s Cantor Arts Center has acquired Titus Kaphar’s painting “Page 4 of Jefferson’s ‘Farm Book’” and Do Ho Suh’s sculpture “Cause & Effect,” two works that, according to the Arts Center’s website, “reference how forced and unforced global migration transform personal and cultural identity.” The works were acquired through the support of the Patricia Geary Johnson Fund for Asian Art Acquisition and the Palmer Gross Ducommun Fund.
The Museum of Modern Art has acquired Tarsila do Amaral’s painting “The Moon (A Lua)” (1928), the first painting by the Brazilian modernist artist to enter MoMA’s collection. Last spring, MoMA, in conjunction with the Art Institute of Chicago, organized the exhibition Tarsila do Amaral: Inventing Modern Art in Brazil. “Last year’s exhibition, co-organized by Luis Pérez-Oramas and Stephanie D’Alessandro, confirmed our belief that a painting by Tarsila was essential to MoMA’s collection,” said Ann Temkin, MoMA’s Marie-Josée and Henry Kravis Chief Curator of Painting and Sculpture. “However, we knew that finding such a work for us would be a major challenge. We feel extremely fortunate to add her work to the history we tell in our fifth-floor collection galleries.” The work will go on display in the fifth-floor collection galleries in March. [via email announcement]
Christie’s On Paper online sale brought in a total of $514,625 from February 20–26. The sale’s top lot, Catherine Opie’s “Dyke” (1992), sold for $87,500.
Christie’s Contemporary Edition sale in New York brought in a total of $1,742,438 on February 27. The sale’s top lot, Julie Mehretu’s “Entropia (review)” (2004), sold for $87,500.
Christie’s Hidden Treasures: Impressionist & Modern Masterpieces from an Important Private Collection sale in London brought in a total of £50,552,001 (~$67,221,000) on February 27. The sale’s top lot, Paul Cézanne’s “Nature morte de pêches et poires” (1885–1887), sold for £21,203,750 (~$28,196,000).
Christie’s Impressionist and Modern Art Evening sale in London brought in a total of £71,306,251 (~$94,819,000) on February 27. The sale’s top lot, Paul Signac’s “Le Port au soleil couchant, Opus 236 (Saint-Tropez)” (1892), sold for £19,501,250 (~$25,932,000).
Christie’s The Art of the Surreal Evening sale brought in a total of £43,566,251 (~$57,932,000) on February 27. The sale’s top lot, René Magritte’s “Le lieu commun” (1964), sold for £18,366,250 (~$24,422,000).
Sotheby’s Impressionist & Modern Art Day sale in London brought in a total of £21,367,125 (~$28,434,000) on February 27. The sale’s top lot, Théo van Rysselberghe’s “À L’ombre des Pins (Agay) or Sous les Pins (Agay)” (1905), sold for £1,035,000 (~$1,377,000).
Sotheby’s Surrealist Art Evening sale in London brought in a total of £13,789,400 (~$18,350,000) on February 26. The sale’s top lot, René Magritte’s “L’Étoile du Matin” (1938), sold for £5,323,500 (~$7,084,000).
Sotheby’s sale of Impressionist & Modern Art Evening sale in London brought in a total of £73,918,400 (~$98,366,000) on February 26. The sale’s top lot, Claude Monet’s “Le Palais Ducal” (1908), sold for £27,534,000 (~$36,641,000).
Phillips’s New Now sale in New York brought in a total of $5,200,250 on February 27. The sale’s top lot, Mary Weatherford’s “Truxtun” (2012), sold for $325,000.
