GETTY MUSEUM BUYS $22.5 MILLION PAINTING.Byline: Daily News The J. Paul Getty Jean Paul Getty (December 15, 1892 – June 6, 1976) was an American industrialist and founder of the Getty Oil Company. Biography Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, into a family already in the petroleum business, he was one of the first people in the world with a Museum in Malibu has acquired a rare creation by one of the leading painters of the High Renaissance Noun 1. High Renaissance - the artistic style of early 16th century painting in Florence and Rome; characterized by technical mastery and heroic composition and humanistic content in Italy, museum officials announced Friday. The painting was purchased for about $22.5 million by the Getty from a private collection in Britain. ``The Holy Family with the Infant St. John,'' depicting the Holy Family resting under a palm and pomegranate pomegranate (pŏm`grănĭt, pŏm`ə–), handsome deciduous and somewhat thorny large shrub or small tree (Punica granatum tree during the flight from the Holy Land, was painted by Fra Bartolommeo (1472-1517) about 1509 and is the first major Florentine High Renaissance painting to come into the museum's collection. ``It is certainly one of his most beautiful paintings,'' said David Jaffe, curator of paintings. ``We're delighted.'' The painting is one of the few major works from the period in an American collection and is considered one of Bartolommeo's best preserved paintings. Bartolommeo, whose works include ``The Vision of St. Bernard St. Bernard a very large (110-200 lb) dog with massive, broad head, medium-sized ears lying close to the head, and a long tail. There are two varieties, the most familiar (rough) has a long, thick coat, while the smooth variety has a shorter coat, lying close to the body. ,'' played an important role in influencing other Renaissance artists. The painting was sold by an aristocratic couple, Viscount Gage Viscount Gage, of Castle Island in the County of Kerry of the Kingdom of Ireland, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1720 for Thomas Gage, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Gage and his wife, who are battling to maintain their stately home, Firle Place, at Sussex in southern England. The painting will be on loan to the National Gallery in London before coming to the Getty in Malibu in January. The Getty has purchased a number of major works during the past few years, most notably Van Gogh's ``Iris'' in 1990. The museum did not reveal the price at the time, but the painting had sold for $53.9 million in 1987. In 1989, the Getty bought the impressionist painting ``La Promenade'' by Pierre-Auguste Renoir for $17.5 million. In 1992, it purchased a painting of a bullfight by the Spanish artist Francisco Jose de Goya for a record $7.9 million. In 1993, the museum bought J.M.W. Turner's ``Van Tromp tromp v. tromped, tromp·ing, tromps Informal v.intr. 1. To walk heavily and noisily; tramp. 2. Going About to Please His Masters, Ships at Sea, Getting a Good Wetting,'' for almost $16 million. In 1993, it paid $6.3 million at an auction in London for a drawing by Michelangelo. The Getty, located in Malibu, is building its new center north of Sunset Boulevard and west of the San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway (Interstate 405, and the part of Interstate 5 south of the El Toro Y[1]) is one of the principal north-south highways in Southern California, and the major beltway of I-5 running through Southern California. . The center is expected to be open in 1997. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: The Getty Museum has bought ``The Holy Family With t he Infant St. John,'' a 16th-century masterpiece by Fra Bartolommeo. Associated Press |
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