Museum acquisitions
Museums often acquire works through donations but, in spite of funding constraints, they also make purchases to expand their collections, either bidding at auctions, negotiating private treaty sales or, in the UK, via the Acceptance in Lieu scheme.
National Trust buys prayer book of ‘Charles II’s priest’ for Moseley Old Hall
15 April 2023The National Trust has bought a prayer book at auction in Liverpool for display at Staffordshire farmhouse Moseley Old Hall.
Omai (Mai) saga ends with a joint purchase
10 April 2023Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Omai, now to be known as Mai, will be bought jointly by The National Portrait Gallery and the Getty Museum after long-running discussions.
US museum sales for Forge and Lynch during Asia Week
10 April 2023Oliver Forge and Brendan Lynch made a series of sales to US museums at the recent edition of Asia Week New York (March 15-30).
Millennials and museums flock to TEFAF Maastricht
03 April 2023Dealers at the Dutch art and antiques fair noticed a welcome trend of more eclectic tastes among younger buyers
Victorian ladies’ cycling gear wheels its way to Australia after wealthy donor bids at auction
03 April 2023A Victorian ladies’ sporting jacket believed to have been used for cycling has been bought for the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in Melbourne, Australia.
The National Portrait Gallery and Getty Museum to jointly buy Reynolds’ Omai portrait
31 March 2023Sir Joshua Reynolds’ Portrait of Mai (Omai) has been bought jointly by The National Portrait Gallery and the Getty Museum after long-running discussions.
Jane Austen letter goes to her former house in deal brokered by Cheffins
23 March 2023Jane Austen’s House in Chawton, Hampshire has acquired a rare early example of a handwritten letter by the novelist after its sale was negotiated by Cambridge auction house Cheffins.
Cash call from Navy museum to help buy Kellett sledge flag
14 March 2023The National Museum of the Royal Navy is launching a fundraising plan to buy a flag from polar explorer Captain Henry Kellett (1806-75).
Treasure Act strengthened so more antiquities finds can be bought by museums
22 February 2023The government is updating the Treasure Act so that important finds that are not part of the current legal definition can be more easily bought by museums.
Marble marvel: 16th century portrait on stone acquired by the Met
20 February 2023A remarkable 16th century oil painting on marble that previously sold at Sotheby’s has been acquired by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
Getty Museum applies for export licence for Roman bust bought at London auction
14 February 2023The Getty Museum has agreed to acquire an ancient Roman marble bust which was sold at auction in London.
Dutch museum buys huge Content collection of cameos put together over four decades
13 February 2023A huge collection of cameos bought by the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden (National Museum of Antiquities) will now go on display at the museum in Leiden.
‘Medici’ brings bronze awards for museums at auction
06 February 2023Two important Mannerist bronzes were bought by museums when a New York private collection was sold in Manhattan last month.
Metal detecting trend boosts Treasure finds in the UK
31 January 2023Enthusiastic metal detectorists discovered 96% of archaeological and Treasure finds, according to the latest report.
Frieze master: dealer sells Sartorios to the D’Orsay
30 January 2023The Musée d’Orsay in Paris has acquired two large paintings by Giulio Aristide Sartorio (1860-1932) from Rome dealership Antonacci Lapiccirella.
English School double portrait and Gould watercolours are among the latest artworks to be saved by the nation
26 January 2023Six artworks are set to be saved for the nation according to the latest Exports of Objects of Cultural Interest report.
Pick of the week: Haitian hero rides into the New York Met
23 January 2023A drawing of Toussaint Louverture (c.1743-1803), a leader of the Haitian Revolution, has sold from London’s Nonesuch Gallery to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
Art dealers Bowman sell sculpture to French museum
16 January 2023The Camille Claudel Museum has unveiled its newly purchased Volubilis sculpture by Alfred Boucher.
Old Master paintings go on long term loan to boost Strawberry Hill House collection
11 January 2023Strawberry Hill House has recreated the look of Horace Walpole’s art collection with loans of fifty Old Masters pictures.
Dealer Van Haeften sells Dutch Golden Age portrait to museum
09 January 2023A museum in the Netherlands has bought a Dutch Golden Age portrait from dealer Johnny Van Haeften.
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