The 16th-century painting “The Resurrection of Christ”, the first Portuguese work of this period, acquired by the Louvre in Paris last October, was exhibited this Thursday in one of the halls of this museum institution, according to the Portuguese-French gallerist Philippe. Mendez.
On October 23, on the social network X, the Louvre announced the acquisition of the painting of the Resurrection of Christ, executed around 1540, in the Royal Office of Lisbon by one of the most important and visited museums in the world. Painting department.
In a conversation with Lusa, the gallery owner said that the painting is already on display, “despite the fact that the official opening of the public exhibition will not begin until Saturday” in the hall of 16th-century Spanish painting, “because there is still no place for the Portuguese one.” , one of the gallery owner’s dreams that he would like to see come true in the near future.
The 16th-century painting, attributed to García Fernandes and Cristovao Figueiredo, is considered a masterpiece representing the so-called Golden Age of Portugal.
“This is a great victory for Portuguese art, a seemingly trivial acquisition, but one with decisive power, thanks to which the great Portuguese school of painting of the 16th century will henceforth become better known, more valuable and more respected at the world level.” – commented Philippe Mendes, a Portuguese-French gallerist who sold the painting to the museum without specifying the price.
In 2016, Mendes offered the Louvre a painting by the Portuguese artist Josepha D’Obidos (1630-1684) to promote the creation of a hall of Portuguese painting in the Parisian museum. closer,” he commented.
“From this moment on, the Portuguese school of painting of the 16th century begins to stand on an equal footing and respect its own artistic language with the great schools of Spanish, Italian or Dutch painting,” the gallerist emphasized.
In October, when the acquisition was announced, Lusa was contacted by a source from the Louvre’s communications and external relations department, who emailed back a response confirming that “this is the first painting.” [portuguesa] acquired by the museum along with other Portuguese paintings from [suas] collections were purchased as gifts.”
“Before this purchase, the Louvre had not had a single 16th-century Portuguese painting in its possession, although the exhibition “The Golden Age of the Portuguese Renaissance” presented last year at the Louvre “reminded us of the importance of Lisbon as the artistic capital of the Renaissance and the quality of the work of the royal workshops,” – added by the museum’s communications department.
“The Resurrection of Christ,” painted around 1540 at the Atelier Real in Lisbon, is “a first-class example of Portuguese Renaissance art,” the Louvre said of the painting, which shows Christ wrapped in a red cloak after being resurrected in front of the surprised soldiers guarding the tomb.
Regarding the acquisition, gallerist Philippe Mendes admitted that “it took more than six months of hard work to get the museum to buy this painting,” with “many difficulties to be overcome,” after she unveiled it in March at the art fair and Tfaf. antiquities in Maastricht, in the Netherlands, “where the Louvre saw them and preserved them.”
“We had to find out the origins of the painting, find out where it was during the Second World War, get the necessary documents to leave the country, and since everything is difficult in Portugal, it was always a struggle,” recalls the gallerist.
In 2022, the Louvre presented an exhibition on ancient Portuguese painting, centered on 15 works from the National Museum of Ancient Art (MNAA) in Lisbon, entitled L’Age D’or de la Renaissance Portugaise. de la Renaissance Portugaise” (“L’Age D’or de la Renaissance Portugaise”). The Golden Age of the Portuguese Renaissance”, freely translated).
The exhibition took place from June 10 to September 10 in the Richelieu wing of the Louvre as part of the Portugal-France cross-season of cultural diplomacy between the two countries, curated by Charlotte Chastel-Rousseau, conservator of the painting department. Parisian museum.
Works were then presented by artists such as Nuno Gonçalves (active 1450-1492), Jorge Afonso (active 1504-1540), Cristóvão de Figueiredo (active 1515-1554) and Gregorio Lopez (active 1513-1550).
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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