Last month, the Medford Public Library, in the town where Tufts University is located, announced an auction of “surplus goods”. The goods turned out to be a number of Native American religious objects, including shaman’s masks and rattles and a totem pole, all of …
The Maasai have been part of a process of cultural decolonization at Oxford’s famous Pitt Rivers Museum. The Living Cultures initiative is a collaboration between the museum, a Maasai community based campaign group called Oltoilo Le Maa, and community development organization InsightShare. This initiative began …
A year ago this month, Christie’s Auctions sold Salvator Mundi, one of about twenty known paintings by Leonardo da Vinci, for over $450 million, shattering all previous auction records and becoming the most expensive painting to ever be sold. The identity of the mysterious over-the-phone buyer remained anonymous for several days, until it was announced that a Saudi prince, Bader bin Abdullah bin Mohammed bin Farhan al-Saud, had purchased the work with the aim of displaying it in the Louvre Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. In September, however, the month that the Salvator Mundi was intended to be debuted, an official statement was released announcing a display postponement and that “further details will be announced soon.”
Although it has been over a year since the historic auction sale, Salvator Mundi has yet to be displayed, and scrutiny from museum professionals and art historians about its whereabouts has intensified. This week, it was announced that the painting may even be “lost,” since no one – aside from the Arab hierarchy – has seen it since the night of the auction.
This is not the first controversy associated with Salvator Mundi. In the media hype leading up the auction, many art historians and conservators were doubting its authenticity and provenance. Could this be the reason the painting has yet to be displayed? Perhaps the Louvre Abu Dhabi wants to ensure of its proper identification before it is shown to the world.
When, and if, Salvator Mundi is ever shown, I have to wonder where it will be displayed in the Louvre Abu Dhabi, especially considering it is a prominent portrait of Christ in a country that largely practices Islam. Will the painting be given a whole wall to itself, similar to the representation technique of the Mona Lisa at the Louvre in Paris? Or will it be placed in dialogue with other religious works, such as in “Gallery Four: Universal Religions,” where Qur’ans, Bibles, and Hindu sculptures would surround it?” The world will have to stay tuned to find out.
I had the pleasure of undertaking my practicum at The Tsongas Industrial History Center this fall. Now the Center is looking for new interns to join the team. I had a fantastic time at TIHC this fall and would recommend interning here for all …
Your Jobs Postings for the Week of November 19th! Have a Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! Northeast Program Assistant [Vermont Historical Society- Barre, VT] Collections Project Manager (temp) [Cuttyhunk Historical Society- Cuttyhunk, MA] Collections handling and Database Internship [Concord Museum- Concord, MA] Director [Patton Homestead- Hamilton, MA] …
Six years after the art heist of the Kunsthal Museum in Rotterdam, one painting has possibly reappeared in Romania under strange circumstances. The painting, Picasso’s Tête d’Arlequin, was one of seven works by masters including Matisse, Monet, and Gauguin valued at over $23 million. Until the reappearance of this Picasso all works were believed to have been destroyed.
The painting were stolen from the Dutch Museum, which boasted a state of the art security system but no night guards on duty, on October 16th, 2012. The Romania gang responsible for the heist worked fast and by the time authorities arrived they had made off with the seven paintings. The small-time criminals faced the same problems early art thieves have faced. Thieves have limited options when it comes to attempting to sell stolen works. All the works were described, photographed, and registered internationally. For this reason, stolen art is often destroyed or lost forever.
That was believed to be the case for these paintings. As police closed in on the gang, the leaders mother reportedly dug up the painting that had been buried in the village graveyard and burnt them on her hearth. Analysis of the ashes from her hearth reveal materials such as canvas, wood, staples, and paints that indicate the remains of at least three or four canvases. All were believed to be lost.
The possible reappearance of the Picasso this weekend have been strange. Dutch authorities report that two Dutch citizens arrived at the Netherlands Embassy in Bucharest with the painting. The two tourists reportedly found the painting under a tree in Southeastern Romania after receiving a tip. However strange the circumstances, if true, we have recovered an important piece of humanity.
Further Reading
6 Years After Museum Heist, Missing Picasso Possibly Found In Romania
Art Thieves Sentenced To 6 Years For Dutch Museum Heist
Picasso, Monet Paintings Among Those Swiped From Dutch Museum
Dutch art heist paintings may have been burned by suspect’s mother