Displaying items by tag: christie's london

The Kimbell Art Museum in Fort Worth, Texas has acquired “Edge of a Forest with a Grainfield,” a landscape by the Dutch Golden Age master, Jacob van Ruisdael. The painting, which was created around 1656, had belonged to Worcester College in Oxford, England since 1811. The work was acquired by the Kimbell Art Museum through a private treaty sale negotiated by Christie’s London.

The painting, which measures about 3 feet by 5 feet, is in near-perfect condition and is regarded by experts as one of the greatest Dutch landscapes in the world. Eric M. Lee, the Kimbell Art Museum’s Director, said, “‘Edge of a Forest with a Grainfield’ epitomizes Ruisdael’s mastery of landscape painting, uniting an unprecedented observation of nature with a sympathetic feeling for the bounteous glory of the Dutch countryside. It is an imposing complement to the Kimbell’s ‘Rough Sea at a Jetty,’ one of his most important seascapes. Whether depicting the sea or the land, these paintings attest to Ruisdael’s profound love of nature in all its forms.”

Before the painting goes on display at the Kimbell Art Museum in April, the museum’s Director of Conservation, Claire Barry, will adjust small areas of old restoration.   

Scottish artist, Douglas Gordon, who won a Turner Prize in 1996 and represented Britain at the 1997 Venice Biennale, was told Wednesday, November 28, that his solid gold sculpture, The Left Hand and the Right Hand Have Abandoned One Another (2007), had gone missing from Christie’s London. Worth approximately $800,000, Christie’s was unable to tell Gordon when the piece had disappeared from their warehouse or where it had gone.

The piece had been part of an exhibition curated by Michael Hue Williams and organized in part by Christie’s. Though Gordon owns the work, it was out on consignment when it disappeared and Williams is being held responsible for any information surrounding its disappearance.

Disconcertingly, Christie’s failed to notify Gordon of the work’s disappearance until two weeks after they realized it had gone missing. Christie’s confirmed that the sculpture was returned to its vault on May 24. On August 14 the work was transferred to a small box from its vault and sometime after that, an art handler or technician noticed that the box had no weight. Christie’s reported the work missing to officials on November 8, but a proper investigation did not begin until November 12.

Composed of nearly 9 pounds of gold, Gordon believes that his work was melted down, as it would be easier to sell that way, although the value would decrease. The Left Hand and the Right Hand Have Abandoned One Another was supposed to be prominently featured at an upcoming exhibition of Gordon’s work at the Tel Aviv Museum of Art.