Bartolomé Esteban Murillo
Self-Portrait, c. 1650–55
oil on canvas, 42 x 30 ½ inches
The Frick Collection, New York, gift of † Dr. and Mrs. Henry ClayFrick II
photo: Michael Bodycomb
Self-portrait by Murillo arrives at the Frick Collection A significant self-portrait by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–82) comes to the Frick Collection in New York as the gift of Mrs. Henry Clay Frick II and the late Dr. Henry Clay Frick II.]]>
November 29, 2014, source: The Frick Collection
In recent years, The Frick Collection has showcased its strength inSpanish paintings through acclaimed exhibitions, publications, events onVelázquez, El Greco, and Goya, and the collecting taste for such works.The focus is warranted, given founder Henry Clay Frick’s early travels toSpain and his deep interest in Spanish artists. Less known, however, is thefact that his first acquisition of Iberian painting was a significant selfportraitby Bartolomé Esteban Murillo (1617–82), a work that hasremained in the Frick family since its purchase in 1904. The painting nowcomes to the New York museum as the gift of Mrs. Henry Clay Frick IIand the late Dr. Henry Clay Frick II. It will be installed in the South Halland viewable starting Tuesday, December 2, 2014.
Comments Director Ian Wardropper, “We are pleased to share with thepublic this work by Murillo, a major baroque artist who has not been represented in our holdings despite hissignificance in the canon of Spanish painting. Our permanent collection continuously evolves sometimesthrough gifts, sometimes through purchase occurred over the decades within everymedia purchased by Henry Clay Frick, each addition amplifying our understanding of various schools andartists. With this very significant acquisition, we are eager to consider our Spanish paintings again in a new light and through fresh scholarship.”
Adds Peter Jay Sharp Chief Curator Xavier F. Salomon, “It is wonderful to see this Murillojoin the eight masterpieces of Spanish painting already at theFrick. This unique work is one of the most important examplesin the United States by the artist and is the only self-portrait byhim in this country. It is one of only two self-portraits thatMurillo painted, in fact, the other being at the National Galleryin London. This acquisition will beautifully co-exist with ournotable body of Spanish painting in terms of it aestheticqualities, importance, and provenance, and we keenly anticipatesharing it with public.”
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