London’s National Portrait Gallery has proposed a £12.5m appeal to purchase Van Dyck’s self-portrait, 1640-41. Sold in 2009 at Sotheby’s by the Earl of Jersey for £8.3m, Alfred Bader is the current owner. To acquire the work, the portrait gallery must confirm serious commitment to raise funds by February 13 and have the full purchase price by July 13th.
Supporting the acquisition, the Art Fund has guaranteed £500,000 (plus £150,000 for touring the painting to at least five regional venues) and the gallery itself is giving £700,000 from its Portrait Fund and acquisition budget. With these funds the portrait gallery is left with just over £11m to raise.
If the portrait gallery is successful with this acquisition, Van Dyck’s self-portrait will be the four most expensive purchase behind, Raphael’s Madonna of the Pinks, 1506-07 (bought by the National Gallery in 2004 for £22m), a pair of paintings of the goddess Diana by Titian, 1556-59 (National Gallery and National Galleries of Scotland, 2009-11, £95m) and the Tate’s landscape by Constable.
Gallery looks to raise over £11m to keep Van Dyck self-portrait in the UK