OPERATION RESCUE RUBENS
Minister’s bid to save £8m masterpiece for the nation
THE Government is battling to save one of Rubens’ most celebrated paintings for the nation.
Arts Minister Michael Ellis today announced an emergency export ban on the 1609 work Head Of An African Man Wearing A Turban to stop it being sold abroad.
The last-ditch move follows reports last summer that The Getty Museum in Los Angeles had paid an astonishing $100 million (£71 million) for 16 artworks, including the painting, from a mystery private collector in Britain.
The temporary export ban means that collectors, galleries, museums and charities in the UK have the chance to meet the £7,695,860 valuation of the 10in x 27in painting.
It is one of the few existing examples of a 17th Century artwork featuring an African man in Europe. Experts believe the subject is someone Rubens met rather than a posed model.
Mr Ellis said: ‘Rubens was one of the great artists of the golden age of painting. This powerful sketch is not only a stunning example of his work but hugely important as a rare representation of an African man in Europe at this time.
‘I hope that a buyer can be found so this outstanding item can kept in the UK for future generations to enjoy.’
Ministers intervene in this way when they are alerted to applications for an export licence for an artwork. Their decisions are usually based on recommendations from the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works of Art and Objects of Cultural History.
Member Aidan Weston-Lewis last night described the painting as ‘the most dignified representation of a black person in 17th Century European art’.
Although the committee said its recommendation was based on aesthetic values, the interests of a ‘diverse audience’ would be met if the painting was bought by a museum or gallery in the UK. Mr Ellis said serious consideration would be given to institutions that wanted to buy it but could not meet the full asking price. The identity of the person who sold the painting to The Getty Museum remains a mystery, but some reports say he is Italian aristocrat Count Luca Padulli, co-founder of the British investment company Camomille Associates.
The Count, who owns land across the country, including a historic 4,500-acre estate in Norfolk, is a passionate art collector. But the aristocrat is also known to guard his privacy jealously.
Sir Peter Paul Rubens was a prolific Flemish artist who worked extensively in England and was knighted by King Charles I in 1630. While living in London, he was responsible for the renowned ‘masterpiece ceiling’ of Banqueting House in Whitehall.
A spokesman for The Getty said: ‘We respect the British export process and look forward to a positive resolution.’ Count Padulli was unavailable.
The most dignified image of a black man in European art from the 1600s ART EXPERT AIDAN WESTON-LEWIS