London and Los Angeles to share £50m masterpiece
The Independent|April 01, 2023
'Portrait of Omai' from 1776 to divide time between galleries
MARTHA MCHARDY & THOMAS KINGSLEY
London and Los Angeles to share £50m masterpiece

The National Portrait Gallery has unveiled plans to share ownership of Sir Joshua Reynolds' £50m painting the Portrait of Omai.

The 1776 work is one of the earliest great portraits of a person of colour and depicts the first Polynesian to visit Britain. London's National Portrait Gallery and the Los Angeles-based Getty Museum intend to enter a joint ownership agreement whereby the public in both locations can view the work free of charge.

The announcement follows secret talks by the partners to jointly buy the painting, revealed by The Independent. A temporary export bar imposed on the 18th-century painting in March last year expired in February, but the government granted an extension to give the National Portrait Gallery time to raise the £25m needed to secure the British cultural treasure.

Each partner will contribute half of the £50m funds needed to acquire the painting. The National Portrait Gallery has raised the majority of the funding, including a significant £10m pledge by the National Heritage Memorial Fund, an Art Fund grant of £2.5m and many donations from trusts, foundations, and individuals. This leaves just under £1m remaining and the gallery is continuing to raise funds.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 01, 2023 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة April 01, 2023 من The Independent.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 8500 مجلة وصحيفة.

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