Antonio Allegri, called Correggio
Madonna and Child with the infant Saint John the Baptist
circa 1514-1515.
NGV acquires an important work by Correggio A ‘Madonna and Child with the infant Saint John the Baptist’ painted by Antonio Allegri, called Correggio, has been acquired by the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) for $5.2 million, the highest price ever paid by the gallery.]]>
August 17th 2011, source: NGV / theartwolf.com
The painting was acquired at Sotheby’s London auction of old masters paintings on 6 July 2011. According to the NGV, the $5.2 million paid is the single highest priced acquisition in its history, and the funds for the purchase were donated by NGV Trustee Andrew Sisson.
Paintings by Correggio rarely appears on the art market. No other work by the artist have been auctioned in recent times, but in 2008 Whitfield Fine Art offered a “Head of Christ” (similar to the one acquired by the Getty in 1994), for €5 million ($7.9 million).
“Correggio is one of the key artists whose work defines High Renaissance painting” -said NGV Director Gerard Vaughan- “the others being Leonardo, Raphael and the young Michelangelo”.
I will not discuss Correggio’s importance, but it looks like someone has forgotten Titian. Anyways, congratulations to the NGV for this intelligent acquisition.
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Vienna: Art & Design from the 1900s at the National Gallery of Victoria (exhibition, 2011)
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