Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo by Rembrandt Harmensz van Rijn,signed and dated 1658, oil on canvas, 107.4 x 87cm (42.25 x 34.25 in)
Important portrait by Rembrandt for sale at TEFAF The ‘Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo’ by Rembrandt will be exhibitedby the leading international gallery Otto Naumann Ltd priced at US$47 million]]>
February 4th 2011, source: TEFAF
“Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo” has belonged to some of the world’s greatest artcollectors. Its earliest known owner was Daniel Daulby, the leading Rembrandtconnoisseur in late 18th century England, while in the 1930s it was acquired by GeorgeHuntingdon Hartford II, heir to the Atlantic & Pacific (A&P) supermarket chain and amember of one of America’s wealthiest families. More recent owners have been J.Steward Johnson, heir to the Johnson & Johnson fortune, his widow Barbara PiaseckaJohnson, and the Las Vegas casino owner Steve Wynn
The painting is now owned by Otto Naumann Ltd of New York, who bought it at Christie’s London for $33 million in 2009. So, how can this increase in the price be justified? According to the press note published by TEFAF, “since the painting was last auctioned in 2009 it has been transformed by cleaning and can now be seen in its full glory.”
“Portrait of a Man with Arms Akimbo”, painted in 1658, was executed during one of themost innovative but also difficult periods of Rembrandt’s career. He had enjoyedenormous success after arriving in Amsterdam in the early 1630s but his expensivelifestyle combined with financial mismanagement eventually led to bankruptcy in1656. His art collection, other possessions and house were all sold and there seem tohave been few commissions for paintings to provide income. Apart from Portrait of aMan with Arms Akimbo, only one other work is known from the 1657-1659 period andmost surviving paintings from Rembrandt’s final years are in museums.
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